Wilted Rose in the Ice
by ShinamiUchiha
Summary: This is an Alternate Universe fic, where nothing of real interest happened in team RWBY's first few years at Beacon. However, their final year is not so peaceful. There will be some heavy Ruby/Weiss shipping, along with Yang/Blake, Pyrrha/Jaune, and Nora/Ren.WARNING: There are going to be multiple graphic scenes in this fic, not for the faint of heart! Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY
1. Chapter 1

"Wake up, wake up, wake up!" Ruby shouted, jumping up and down, clapping her hands.

Weiss groaned, picking up her pillow and throwing it at the girl, though she missed and hit Yang, who promptly fell off her bed. "It's too early for your hyperactivity Ruby, let us sleep a bit." She mumbled, pulling the blanket up over her head.

"But you can't sleep, we have to get to the airpads so we can go on our mission!" The young girl said, yanking the blanket off the Schnee heiriss and throwing it to the floor. "We're going on a mission today, you have to be alert and ready for anything!" She said, and with a puff of rose petals, appeared on the other side of Weiss' bed, her face barely an inch from the other girl's.

"Okay, okay, but mind my personal space at least... And besides, we've been on tons of missions, why is this one so special?" She inquired, stretching and yawning as she sat up, pushing Ruby away from her and onto the floor.

"First off, I'm your girlfriend, your personal space is my personal space. And second off, because we're going on a mission with my Uncle Qrow!" She said, jumping back to her feet, a large grin on her face, her eyes sparkling.

"Uhg, you mean the drunk guy whose butt Winter kicked a few years ago?" She said, raising a curious eyebrow as she began rummaging through her small set of drawers for a change of clothes.

"Hey, everybody agreed that was a tie!" Ruby said, crossing her arms and pouting slightly.

"Yeah, and besides, he didn't use his scythe, he was going easy on her." Yang said, both hands on her hips, her usual half smirk on her face. "If they were fighting for real, he would have murdered her... Get it, murder? Like a murder of crows?"

The other three rolled their eyes and sighed in unison as Yang collapsed on the floor, laughing hysterically at her own joke. The girls finished dressing as Yang stood up, her face still slightly pink from her laughing fit.

"I've never seen someone laugh so much at their own joke before you came along Yang." Blake said, shaking her head and giving a small sigh.

"Gotta learn to make yourself laugh." Yang said with a cheeky smile, crossing her arms. "Otherwise you end up like Weiss."

"And what is THAT supposed to mean?" Weiss demanded, turning to face her blonde teammate, hands on her hips.

"I think she's trying to say you're no fun." Ruby whispered, causing Weiss to turn on her as well.

"You don't think I'm fun?" The white-haired girl said, rounding on the small team leader.

"No, I said Yang doesn't think you're fun; I think you're a lot of fun!" Ruby said defensively, shrinking back slightly under the glare of the older girl.

"I think we all know Ruby thinks your fun Weiss." Yang said with a sly smirk, causing both girl's faces to go bright red.

"I-I don't umm..." Ruby stuttered, giving a nervous glance towards Weiss, who was equally stunned by the comment.

"We share a room, it's not like you guys are unnoticed when you sneak out together." Blake said, shrugging and standing up. "You guys ready to go, we don't wanna be late."

"Ready to go!" Ruby said excitedly, rushing out the door, closely followed by her teammates.

Needless to say, Qrow was completely hammered, as usual. This much, Team RWBY had expected; what they didn't expect, however, was Pyrrha and Jaune standing there with him.

"UNCLE QROOOOWW!" Ruby shouted as she latched onto the man's arm, smiling up at him. "Hi!"

"Heya Ruby, you guys all ready to go?" Qrow said, gently shaking his arm so Ruby fell off with a soft _thud_ and a small "oof" from the small girl.

"All ready to go." Yang said, placing a hand on her hip and smiling. "But uh, why're those two here?"

"They're here to help us on our little mission." Qrow said simply, taking a swig from his metal flask. "Is there a problem?"

"Nope, just curious is all. So what kinda mission is this exactly?" She said as they all began loading onto the small aircraft that was to transport them to their destination.

"Search and destroy. Some of our scouts found a huge nest of Grimm, along with some of our friends from the White Fang nearby. Tey want us to set up explosive charges in the camp and the Grimm's nest." Qrow replied, sitting himself down in a seat and closing his eyes.

"Sounds simple enough." Weiss said, sitting down next to Ruby, who had seated herself across from Qrow and Yang.

"Simple is putting it way too lightly girly. We still have to stealth our way into both those places, set charges in several locations to maximize damage, and sneak our way back out, all without getting detected, or else we're gonna have quite the fight on our hands." Qrow said, not even bothering to open his eyes.

"Well... When you put it that way..." Weiss said, her hands clenching into fists as worry covered her face.

"Don't worry, we're all gonna do just fine!" Ruby said cheerfully, placing a hand overtop Weiss's and giving her a reassuring smile.

The ride to the mountains where the base and the nest were hidden was not a long trip. Within an hour, they had arrived and begun the hike through the rocky, mountainous terrain to their destination. After stopping for a small break next to a shallow stream, Qrow had announced that he was going to scout ahead. He quickly morphed into his small, black, bird form and took off into the sky, leaving the girls, and Jaune, to themselves.

Weiss and Yang sat with their feet in the water of the stream, while Ruby and Blake attempted to catch fish with their bare hands, and failing exceptionally. Jaune and Pyrrha were sitting on a rock, both of their eyes closed, contently sitting in each others arms as a light breeze rolled in.

"Aww, I thought I had that one..." Ruby said as a fish shot right between her fingers and continued up the stream.

"Don't worry, it takes a lot of practice to be able to catch one without proper fishing gear." Blake said with a small smile.

"Yeah, I guess you're-" But Ruby's sentence was drowned out with a loud screech as Weiss shot up, shaking and thrashing her arms around.

"EW EW EW! IT'S IN MY SHIRT!" She shouted, dancing and hoping around, one hand reaching under the cloth and pulling out a small silver fish and glaring at it angrily as the others collapsed on the ground, laughing hysterically. "It isn't funny! It was all slimy and floppy and gross..."

"Yeheheheheah... But your squeal was sohohohoho funny hehehehe!" Ruby giggled, trying to calm herself down as she stood up.

"Was not..." Weiss said, pouting slightly.

"Aww, come on Weiss, we weren't laughing AT you. We were laughing at the fish!" Ruby said with a small smile, pecking the girl on the cheek.

"Nah, I was laughing at her." Yang said, earning her a small glare from her younger sister.

"If you girls are done, we should be getting a move on." Qrow said, falling and landing next to Pyrrha and Jaune's rock. "Their security is lax right now, and it seems some of the White Fang has move towards the nest, meaning both places are weak right now, giving us the best chance we have."

"So let's get a move on!" Yang said, punching her fists together and smiling.

"Yeah, let's get going!" Ruby agreed excitedly.

"Try to remember that this is supposed to be a stealth mission. You two jumping in and attacking the first guy you see isn't going to be beneficial." Weiss said, crossing her arms and looking at the two sisters.

"I know, I'm just excited to complete the mission is all!" Ruby said as the team began moving again, led by Qrow.

"Well, just make sure you don't go and get hurt, I'd never forgive you if you got hurt doing something reckless." Weiss said, wrapping an arm around the smaller girls shoulders and smiling softly.

"Oh come on, I'll be fine, what could go wrong?" Ruby said, returning the smile.

"Alright, listen up." Qrow said, stopping and crossing his arms, turning to face them all. "We're gonna be breaking into two seperate teams, so we can hit bth targets at once, alright? Ruby, you take Weiss and Blake to the camp. I'll take Yang, Jaune, and Pyrrha and go to the nest. If you get found, try your best to at least fight your way over to us, alright?"

"Roger!" Ruby said, saluting and nodding eagerly. "We'll be in and out no problem!"

"You'd better be, otherwise Ozpin's gonna kill me..." Qrow said, motioning for his team to follow him and disappearing down another path.

Ruby, Weiss, and Blake continued down their own path, and after a few minutes, found themselves overlooking the large White Fang camp. They were crouched behind a large boulder, peeking around the edge of it, so as not to be seen by enemy lookouts.

"So... Any ideas on how to get in?" Blake asked as they looked over the camp's defense.

"Well, we could always cause some sort of distraction? Draw the guards away from one area, then sneak in while they're occupied?" Ruby suggested, though her voice sounded doubtful.

"That could work, but we'd need a really big distraction..." Weiss said thoughtfully.

"How about a rock slide?" Blake suggested, pointing towards a group of large and percariously perched boulders. "With one of the smaller explosives, we could set it off, and sneak in undetected while they scatter?"

"Great idea! I'll go set it up!" Ruby said, vanishing with a small cloud of rose petals, then reappearing a moment later with a small detonator in her hand. "And three, two, one..." She clicked it, setting off a small explosion, and causing the rocks to fall, tumbling down the mountainside towards the camp.

Frightened screams were heard from below of the men trying to take cover from the massive rocks that were bearing down upon them. However, amidst the commotion, they didn't spot three teenage girls slipping past the West gate and into the camp. They made their way from point to point, setting small charges in ke locations, such as the armory, the kitchen, supply tents, and the command tent.

They were setting the last charge right outside the command tent, when they heard a shout. "Intruders, intruders near the command tent!"

The girl's eyes widened, and before they knew it, they had been surrounded. "So umm, you guys wanna buy some cookies to help support our school?" Ruby said with a nervously chuckle.

"Mmm, yeah, that sounds great... Hey wait, you're planting a bomb! I don't want you stupid... Bomb... Cookies..." A guard said, his voice faultering into disappointment as he finished speaking.

"Bomb cookies, really?" Another guard said, shaking his head.

"Well I was gonna make a joke but I messed up the wording and by then it was beyond the point of no return..." The other guard said, hanging his head in shame.

"Just shut up and tie them up you idiots..." Another one said with a small sigh.

"Yeah, about that... We sorta have to meet someone, so we can't stay to chat, maybe next time, though." Ruby said with a cheeky smile, taking Cresent Rose off of her back and unfolding it. "Ready girls?"

"You know it." Weiss said, readying her rapier and forming a small glyph beneath their feet. "Jump!"

Both of her teammats complied, and with the help of the glyph, the three girls were launched into the air, heading straight towards the mountain they came from. Ruby smiled happily and hit the button on the detenator, watching as the explosives destroyed a large portion of the camp, and set fire to the rest, causing the White Fang to panic again.

They landed on a small cliff, on top of a glyph that Weiss had placed seconds befor their landing, causing them to hit the ground softly, though Ruby still managed to fall flat on her face.

"So, shall we go find Uncle Qrow?" Ruby asked, brushing herself off as she stood back up.

"Umm, guys... We have a problem..." Blake said, looking over the edge of the cliff, where a large amount of White Fang were running quickly at them.

"We gotta go and meet up with Uncle Qrow, and fast!" Ruby said, her eyes widening as she and the other two turned and began sprinting towards the Path the others had gone down earlier...

"Are we done yet?" Yang complained in a light whisper.

"Almost, this is the last one." Qrow replied, morphing into a crow and flying up, sticking the harge to a giant stalactite. "Alright, ready... Now let's blow this pop stand."

The four of them crawled through the large crack in the side of the cave they had entered through, slipping out into the dimming sunlighta few moments later. Yang was the first to get out, and she eagerly stretched, smiling brightly.

"Man it was cramped in there... But I think it went rather well, don't you?" She said, helping Pyrrha to her feet.

"Yes, I honestly kept expecting one of them to wake up and see us." Pyrrha said, placing her hands on her hips and sighing. "I hope the others are doing as well as we are."

The words had barely left Pyrrha's mouth when a massive explosion was heard, followed by several large columns of smoke coming from the direction of the White Fang's camp.

"Well, I guess that answers that, huh?" Qrow said, taking a swig from his flask and smiling. "Now all we gotta do is get to the pickup... Zone... Hey, you guys hear that?"

"Yeah..." Jaune said, cupping his hand next to his ear. "It sounds like someone yelling your name..."

The noise became louder and louder, and eventually Weiss, Blake, and Ruby shot around the corner. "We messed up, we messed up!" Ruby shouted as the first of the White Fang members rounded the corner, weapons drawn.

"Well, looks like we're gonna have to fight our way out, huh?" Qrow said, he and the others drawing their own weapons. "It was too quiet anyways..."

The team began fighting. Blades clashed against blades, and the air was soon thick with the sound of battle. White Fang members were falling fast, but it was a wasted effort. For every man that was cut down, three more would round the corner, taking his place. Ruby and Weiss were back-to-back in the middle of a large crowd of them, fighting them off vigorously, while Yang charged through the large horde, her shotgun-gauntlets letting shells fly. Qrow, Jaune, Pyrrha, and Blake were hanging back, picking off the scraps left by the other girls, which there was no shortage of.

After about five minutes of fighting, they realized that they were fighting a losing battle. They began to retreat down the side of the mountain, with the White Fang hot on their heels.

"Umm, hey, we need an emergency pickup... Now!" Qrow yelled into his radio.

"Roger that, we are inbound, ETA three minutes, over." The pilot replied, the radio breaking into static.

"What part of now didn't thise guys understand?" Qrow said angrily. "Alright, I guess we have to hold them here for three minutes until the pilot gets here..."

The team stopped and faced their opponents, who also stopped. Most of their faces were covered by masks, but those who weren't wore looks of hate and anger. The field was completely silent, a light breeze passing by as the sun set behind the mountains. Then suddenly it happened. Suddenly a large hole was blown in the mountain, causing dozens of Grimm to charge out, obviously angry at being awoken from their slumber.

Chaos ensued. The team was fighting Grimm, who were fighting the White Fang, who was fighting the Team. Blades and claws clashed as the battle intensified with the new deadly foe added to the mix. Several more teams of White Fang rushed i from over the mountain as reinforcements, only causing the battle to escalate in size. It wasn't long before it was practically a full scale war being fought in the small field they all stood in.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, Qrow spotted it. The transport was headed their way, with the ramp already down and ready for a quick pickup. He grabbed Jaune, who was lying on the ground, groaning in pain, and yelled for the others to follow him. Ruby and Weiss both stood firm, staying just behind their teammates to cover their retreat. As soon as everyone but the two were loaded, it happened...

Ruby nodded to Weiss to allow the girl to board the ship. After she had climbed on, Weiss yelled for Ruby to follow. Ruby turned, placing Cresent Rose on her back to give her more speed to run to the transport, leaving her defenseless to the massive claw of the Ursa behind her. Weiss screamed out, but it was too late. A large amount of blood shot from the wound as the claw slashed through her clothing and flesh alike. A pained, surprised expression grew on the girl's face as she fell to the ground, hitting the grassy floor.

A long, loud almost screeching noise sounded across the battlefield as Yang tried to jump off of the transport.

"RUBY!"

"Yang, no, you can't, it's too dangerous."

"I WON'T LEAVE HER!"

"Yang please, stop!"

Pyrrha and Blake struggled to hold Yang back as she struggled to reach her little sister, who lay dying on the ground, surrounded by her own blood. Weiss and Jaune stared blankly at their fallen friend, completely stunned at what had happened.

Suddenly, there was a rush of movement, and something shot past Weiss and out of the transport. Qrow charged towards the large amount of Grimm and White Fang alike that was surrounding the small girl. It was only a few seconds before her was swallowed by the massive waves of enemies. He was thrown back, only a few meters from the transport, where he quickly scrambled aboard, clutching something tightly to his chest.

The transport took off, the ramp closing, but not before Yang let out another scream for her sister, before Pyrrha finally hit her with the hilt of her sword, knocking her out.

The trip back to beacon was completely silent, save for Pyrrha and Blakes quiet sobs. Pyrrha and Jaune sat on the floor of the ship, with Pyrrha's head resting in Jaune's lap. Blake had sat next to Yang, tears rolling down her cheeks as her body shook with sobs. Weiss hasn't moved since they took off. Qrow had gently pushed her into a seat and strapped her in, but her expression hadn't changed. She simply stared at the wall of the shuttle blankly, as though she could not comprehend what had happened.

When they arrived back at Beacon, Ozpin was waiting on the airpad for them, a bright smile on his face. Qrow was the first to leave the ship, quickly walking over to Ozpin and saying something in a hushed tone, causing the Headmaster's face to fall into a look of pure shock and sorow. He nodded gently to the girls as they passed, Jaune and Pyrrha carrying Yang, who was still unconcious; and Blake, who was leading Weiss off the ship.

They made their way up to Team JNPR's room, where they lay Yang on Pyrrha's bed. They sat down and Pyrrha and Blake, who seemed to be the only ones capable of any sort of speech at the moment, explained what had happened to Ren and Nora. Ren's face turned sorrowful, whilst Nora's turned to a look of pure horror. She curled up on her bed, laying her head in Ren's lap, and began sobbing into his leg as he gently stroked her hair.

Twenty minutes went by, almost completely silent, except for Nora, Pyrrha, and Blakes muffled sobs. A small knock on the door was heard, to which Jaune stood up, opening the door to reveal Ozpin standing there, his hands behind his back, his expression somber.

"Qrow told me about what happened..." He said simply, stepping into the room and sitting on the bed next to Weiss and Blake. He extended his hand, revealing three scraps of cloth, one of them quite long, another in an almost square shape, and the third, which was short and thin. "This was all that Qrow could manage to get before he was forced away..."

Ozpin handed the cloth to Weiss and patted her hand. "I'm sorry..."

Ozpin stood up and slowly left the room, turning and looking as though he was about to say something, but then shook his head, shutting the door behind him.

Blake took the scraps from Weiss's unmoving hands and gently tied the smallest scrap around her arm. She took the long and thin one, and carefully tied it into Weiss's hair, allowing it to flow free like a bow. She finally took the third and folded it into a small bandana, tying it around Blake's neck.

"I-is that-?" Pyrrha began, swallowing hard.

Blake nodded as she stared down at the bright red cloth now tied to her arm. "Her cape..."

Weiss gently moved her hand, running it along the soft fabric. She slowly stood up and walked towards the door, and out of the room, without saying a word. Everyone listened hard to try and figure out where she was going, and were not surprised when they heard the door to Team RWBY's room being opened and closed across the hall, followed by the muffled sounds of the white-haired Schnee girl's hysterical sobbing.

A crackling noise was heard through the small intercom speaker above the door. A voice came through a few seconds later, Ozpin's. "Everyone, if I may have your attention please. I regret to inform you all that this evening, Beacon Academy suffered a loss. During a search and destroy mission, Ruby Rose was killed in action. She foght bravely, and died protecting her teammates and loved ones from Grimm. There will be no classes tomorrow, and with the blessing of her Uncle and Father, we are holding her funeral here at Beacon in three day's time. Today is a terrible day for Beacon... We have lost a fine Huntress, and a better friend..."

The speaker cut off, plunging the room back into silence. Pyrrha looked out the window, where the moon had already started to rise. Withot a word, all of the teens had begun lying down, with Blake and Yang sharing Pyrrha's bed, who was currently curled up with Jaune. As the sounds of night began creeping into the room, the girls softly, and almost silently, cried themselves to sleep...


	2. Chapter 2

Weiss slowly opened her eyes, bringing her hand up to hold her aching head. She gave a soft groan as she opened her eyes, blinking against the bright lights of Beacon's infirmary. She looked over and saw two figures next to her bed; one of them was blonde and busty, while the other had long black hair with a matching bow on her head. The blonde was looking down at her with a worried expression, while the black haired girl appeared to be sleeping, with her head resting on the bed.

"Weiss, you're awake! Are you okay? How do you feel?" Yang said, placing a gentle hand on Weiss's shoulder.

"I-I'm okay..." Weiss said cautiously, eyeing the two girls with slight suspicion. "Wat happened to me?"

"Well, you had a sort of... Mental breakdown last night apparently. You hit your head really hard too, but the doctor said you didn't have a concussion." Yang said as Blake gently rose her head up, yawning.

"Oh..." Weiss said, still giving the two girls a slightly confused look. "If you don't mind me asking... Um... Who are you?"

Both Yang and Blake's eyes widened slightly at the question, looks of shock clear on their faces. Blake's face fell, looking suddenly solemn as she hung her head, looking down at her feet. Yang, however just gave a small smile.

"We're your teammates, don't you remember?" She said kindly, patting her shoulder.

Weiss shook her head, screwing up her face in concentration, trying to remember them. "I-I don't remember you... At all... I'm sorry..."

"It... It's alright... I'm sure your memory will come back in time. We're your closest friends after all." Yang said with a supportive grin.

The two girls bid her farewell, urging her to rest as they left, promising they would be back the next day. As Weiss lay back on the pillows, another girl approached her bed from the corner of the room. Weiss hadn't noticed this girl until now, and she wondered if the others had. This girl looked younger, and her hair was black with a few highlights of red. She had a bright red cape draped around her, and held a soft smile on her face.

The girl said nothing, but just sat on the bed, right next to Weiss, gently stroking her hair. Weiss's head began to ache, and she recognized the pain of a migraine. She held her head in her hands as visions went through her head, most of them of that girl from before, the black haired one... Blake.

"Are you okay Weiss, do you need help?" The girl said, concern on her face as a monitor beeped loudly. "I'll go get the nurse!"

No sooner had the girl disappeared, than a woman in a white outfit with a red cross on her hat entered the room, rushing to the girl's side and pressing a needle into her arm. "It's okay sweetie, you'll be alright. This'll help the pain, okay?"

The last few words were slightly distorted as Weiss slipped back into unconsciousness...

The next day the two girls, Blake and her blonde companion, came back, just as they promised. They didn't say much, but they had brought others along with them as well. There was one man who was tall and dark haired, but with a bright pink streak running through it; and clutching to his arm was the most hyperactive girl Weiss had ever seen. Another pair, a red-haired girl and a blonde boy, stood beside them. All of them smiled at Weiss, and offered calming words. Weiss apologized numerous times for not remembering any of them, but they all smiled and told her it wasn't her fault. It wasn't but a few moments later when another nurse had to be summoned, the intense pain from the migraine taking her over again.

For the next few days, she was visited by the same group of people, and each day, when she awoke, she would find them already at her bedside, giving small waves and smiles of greeting. Every day she gave delighted information of her memories that she was regaining; Yang, Team JNPR, Team CRDL, Team SSSN. And every time she announced it, it was met with smiles and encouraging words, along with a hug or two.

However, there was one thing that she couldn't remember, or rather, one person she couldn't remember. It was the girl she had taken to calling Red, after her bright red hood. Red visited her daily, and stayed with her even after visitor's hours. She never really spoke, and when she did, it was with a slightly distorted voice, as if she was speaking through a fan.

Try as hard as she might, Weiss could not remember the girl's name. Each day she apologized, only to be told that it was alright, and that she would remember in time. Weiss had been told that she would be able to be released from the hospital the next day by a smiling nurse as she lay down to sleep.

Weiss fell asleep, feeling a migraine coming on, but deciding to ignore it, and let whatever memories were coming flow freely to her. This one was not like the others, which were vivid and almost story-like. This one was straight out of a nightmare. She saw Grimm everywhere; Yang, Blake, Pyrrha, and Jaune fighting them off as best they could. And in the thick of the battle, she saw her, Red. She ran to reach her, but stopped as she saw the Grimm raising it's claw, slashing the girl across the back, causing her to fall to the ground.

Weiss shot up in bed, sweat glistening on her brow, her breathing heavy as she panted. "I-I remembered... Your name..." She said, looking at the corner where the girl stood.

"That's great news..." She said, walking over and sitting on the bed, her own eyes glistening with tears. The girl snuggled into Weiss's shoulder, wiping away her own tears of the soft fabric of the hospital gown.

That was when Weiss froze. She was watching her, watching the tears flow onto the fabric of the nightgown, but it was not wet. Weiss reached out a hand to brush away a tear from the girl's face, but felt nothing...

"No..." Weiss said, her voice hoarse and croaky.

"Now I need to you do me a favor, okay?" The girl said with a sad smile, standing up from the bed. "Now that you remember my name."

"No... Please... Don't leave..." Weiss pleaded, tears streaming down her cheeks, her hands clenched into fists.

"Don't forget me..."

"RUBY!"

Ruby gasped and coughed as she awoke now completely soaking wet. Her eyes shot around the dark room as she gasped for breath, still trying to cough out the water she had inhaled. She was currently laying down on what felt like a hard wooden surface, and could feel it was a little ways off the ground. She attempted to stand up, but found herself unable to move her limbs. Looking up with confusion and slight panic, she noticed the metal shackles binding her ankles, wrists, and waist to the wooden table. She pulled and pulled as hard as she could, but found her attempts to escape unsuccessful.

"Those are made of steel, you won't be breaking those any time soon my dear." Said a voice coming from somewhere behind her. The voice was obviously female, and had a slightly playful tone to it. "The only way you're getting off that table is if I want you to, and right now, I want you here to answer my questions."

The owner of the voice stepped into Ruby's view. Cinder stood tall, smirking as her heels made a soft _click_ on the stone floor with each step. She held a small metal bucket, which obviously had just contained the water that was currently soaking Ruby's clothing.

"YOU!" Ruby yelled angrily, her struggling intensifying as she saw the woman. "What the hell are you doing here, where am I?!" She demanded, causing Cinder to give a small chuckle.

"I don't think you're in any positions to be asking me questions little girl. In fact, it's quite the opposite." Cinder said, her eyes giving a small glow as she smirked at Ruby. "I want you to tell me anything and everything you know about Ozpin's plans against us... Or else."

"I have no clue what you're talking about, and if I did, why would I tell you of all people?" Ruby said defiantly, still giving small grunts and groans as she tried to wriggle herself free.

"Well, I tried doing it the easy way like she wanted... But I guess some things just can't be helped..." Cinder said, revealing her other hand, which held a small knife. She qucikly slashed at Ruby, who winced heavily, expecting to feel the cut open up any second.

Cinder chuckled as she slashed several more times, tearing the clothing covering Ruby's stomach and chest to shreds. "Wh-what the hell are you d-doing?!" Ruby said, glaring angrily at Cinder. "You think cutting my dress will make me spill the beans?"

"Oh no, no, no. That was simply to free up some skin girly." Cinder said, smirking as she gently lifted a single finger, which had a bright orange flame on the tip. "Ready for part two?"

Cinder dragged her finger up Ruby's torso, starting from the bottom of her stomach, all the way up the the base of her neck. The entire time the finger was in contact with her skin, a blood-curdling scream was flowing out of Ruby as she wriggled and squirmed desperately under Cinder's sole finger.

When Cinder finally removed her finger, she smirked at the girl, crossing her arms. "Ready to tell me what I wanna know?"

Ruby panted heavily, her chest rising and falling with each labored breath. A bright red line had formed where Cinder's fnger had touched across Ruby's torso. "N-no... I won't tell you..."

"Very well..." Cinder said, moving down to the opposite end of the table and snapping her fingers. Emerald and Mercury stepped out of the darkness, both of them smirking maniacally. "Make her scream for me... I'm gonna go check on our other prisoner..."

The heavy metal door shut as Cinder left, her heels clicking on the floor with every step. She stopped for a moment and waited, her smile growing as she heard the tortured screams of the young girl flowing down the hallway.

She opened the door to another cell, almost exactly the same as Ruby's, however, this one looked different in one way. This room looked like it had been used many times. It smelled of blood and other disgusting odors, and Cinder wrinkled her nose as she entered, stepping towards the table.

"Do you hear that?" Cinder asked as another one of Ruby's screams echoed down the hallway. "Do you know who that is?"

The woman on the table said nothing, tears streaming down her cheeks, cutting through the blood and dirt that had gathered over the time of her stay.

"Her name... Is Ruby Rose..." Cinder said, smirking as the woman's eyes widened with recognition, her screaming and curing muffled by the gag as she began pulling and struggling against the bindings. "And while she's here, I'm going to leave your cell door open so you can hear her screams... Maybe this will teach you to withhold information from me..."

Cinder laughed sadistically as she walked out of the cell and back down the hallway, the screams of Ruby and Summer Rose echoing down the hallway after her as she made her way out of the dungeon...

 **A/N: BOOM! How'd you guys like that bombshell, hmm? Hope you guys are liking the story so far, I plan to go far with it, along with making some other fanfics as well! Chiao!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Heya guys, I have a new chapter, right on time! I wanna thank you for the positivitey and stuff, and please, feel free to give any constructive criticism or ideas you may have, it's always appreciated!**

 **Oh, one more thing, anything written in italics is Neo's notes :p**

This was Hell, it had to be. Ruby's screams echoed down the hallways, only to be interrupted by sobs and pleading as the monsters creating those sounds preparing another round of torture for the poor girl. Summer sobbed as she was forced to listen to the horrendous noises flowing into her cell. This had been going on for several days now, with occasional visits from Cinder, who said nothing, but just sat back and smirked.

Cinder left Summer's cell, a smile on her face. She could feel that the woman was close to breaking. She had known all along that the smaller girl knew nothing about Ozpin's plans, he would never confide in a sixteen year-old girl. She did know however, that Summer Rose knew something she wanted to know. She had tried everything she possibly could to get her to talk, but after all the time that had passed, after all the failed attempts at interrogation, it looked like she had finally found her one weakness. And that weakness lay on the wooden table before her, bruised, burned, cut, suffocated, half drowned, and more. She was being put through the most horrendous tortures imaginable, all for information she did not possess; and Summer knew it. It was only a matter of time before she broke...

The funeral was a difficult time to get through for all of Beacon; but none cried more than the remainder of Team RWBY. Tears ran down their faces as Ozpin delivered the eulogy, commending Ruby on her self-sacrifice and her heroism for making sure her team was safe before herself. He had asked beforehand if any of the girls had wanted to come up and say a few words, but all of them had declines, knowing that none of them would be able to stop their crying long enough to speak.

Rain poured down over the large courtyard, which was currently packed with what seemed to be every student and staff member at Beacon, along with others, such as Qrow, Tai Xiao Long, Penny, Ironwood, and many others that had come to pay their respects to the young Huntress. The small coffin was closed, as there was no body to be viewed. The grave had been dug by Ooblek earlier that morning, and it sat perched on the cliff, next to the entrance of Beacon.

As Ozpin finished delivering his speech, he brought his head down. "She will be missed..."

He gave a small nod to Glynda, who waved her crop, causing the coffin to slowly lower into the freshly dug ground.

The school began dispersing soon after, some stopping to lay a flower or item on the girl's grave, others stopping to say a quiet goodbye. Teams RWBY and JNPR walked slowly and silently back towards their rooms. Yang was assisting Weiss, who had apparently sprained her ankle trying to break out of the infirmity a few hours previously. When they finally arrived at their dorms, the two teams gave small nods to each other, and retreated into their separate rooms. Team RWBY decided they would just try and sleep, each laying in their own bed, completely covered by the sheets.

Each girls dreams were haunted by nightmares...

"Emerald, Mercury, that's enough." Cinder said, holding up a hand and stepping forwards.

The pair nodded, Mercury stepping back, while Emerald placed her knife back on the small tray and joined him as Cinder approached the small girl, who currently lay on the table, barely conscious, her breathing faint.

"You look like you've been through quite a lot of pain over the last few days, huh?" She said with a sadistic smirk, trailing her finger over Ruby's heavily bruised and cut stomach, causing the young girl to wince and give a muffled cry through the cloth that was currently serving as a gag.

Ruby didn't even try to speak through the cloth, she knew it was useless. She simply lay there, wincing at each touch, whimpering under the glare of the evil woman. She had no more strength left, no more desire to try and break free. She wanted only to savior this sweet moment where she wasn't being subjected to their horrendous torture methods.

"I bet you wanna get out of those shackles by now, huh?" Cinder said, gently unlatching each one. "I'll let you out. But if you even think of escaping, I'm going to shackle you in a position that will shatter your bones."

Ruby only whimpered again, and as soon as the bindings were released, she curled herself into a ball, trying to cover as much of her damaged body as she could. Her dress was all but gone, torn to shreds by knives, whips, and fingers alike. Her cape was torn already from the battle with the Grimm, and it lay on the floor, just out of her reach. The only part of her outfit that remained untouched were her boots, though she was not currently concerned with her clothing. She was desperately trying to focus her aura into healing her wounds. Each time they had tortured her, her aura had blocked the first few seconds of pain, but after that, it was drained. They had injected a curious green substance into her bloodstream that seemed to constantly drain her aura as she recovered it.

"Now then, I have something I need to you do, and if you do it correctly, I might just let you eat something." Cinder said, crossing her arms and gazing down at the girl.

Ruby looked up at the woman weakly, giving a small nod to show she was listening.

"There is a woman down the hall that still seems defiant, no matter what I throw at her, and I figured that you could possibly persuade her." Cinder said, her tone cold as ice, and her eyes glowing slightly. "If you cannot walk, Neo will assist you, right dear?"

Cinder turned to look at the corner, which was empty. Frowning slightly, she turned back and gave a small sigh. "It seems Neo has something to do that s more important than the information we need. Emerald, help the girl to the cell, and blindfold her, but remove her gag. You may bring her in a moment, I just need one more word with our other guest..."

Cinder made her way down the hallway where summer lay, staring at her, her hate obvious on her face. "I am going to allow you a guest. You will not tell her who you are, and you will speak only when she speaks to you, or else she will be punished on your behalf, understood?"

Summer swallowed hard, but gave a small nod. Cinder smiled and snapped her fingers, causing Emerald to arrive a moment later, half-carrying Ruby.

Summer's eyes widened at the sight of the girl. She was a bit smaller than she expected, though that might have been because she was almost doubled over, trying to cover her many wounds, no doubt inflicted by Cinder, or rather her lackeys. She noted the black blindfold over the girl's eyes, preventing her from seeing her mother.

"Here we are Ruby, now, I want you to try your best to convince her to give me the information I want. Mercury and Emerald will be here to monitor your conversation." Cinder said, smiling to herself as she turned and left the room.

After about five minutes of silence, Ruby gave a small cough, finally finding her voice. "Hello... I'm Ruby... Ruby Rose..." She said, her voice weak and hoarse. "What's your name?"

"I-I'm... Ari..." Summer said, trying her best not to break into tears.

"C-could you tell me... Wh-what kind of information... They want from you Ari?" Ruby asked, her voice slowly getting a bit stronger as she spoke.

"They want me to give them information... That could hurt a lot of people..." Summer said cautiously, speaking slowly, her voice showing her obvious nervousness.

"H-have they... Hurt you?" Ruby asked, her voice cracking slightly; Summer could see tears dampening the cloth over her eyes.

"Yes... A lot... I've been here for years and years, and almost every day has been Hell..." Summer said quietly, tears streaming silently down her own cheeks as she looked up at the ceiling. "And they've hurt people close to me too..."

"I'm sorry... I couldn't imagine having to go through that..." Ruby said quietly. "But... Is it really so bad to tell them? Could it really be that valuable?"

Summer tried to swallow, but found herself unable due to the lump in her throat. She closed her eyes gently. "Yes... It is that valuable... And if I told them... They would just kill me anyways..."

Emerald groaned, looking at her watch. "We've wasted enough time with this... This bitch is a lost cause..." She said, helping Ruby up. "Let's get you your food..." She said in an aggressive tone.

Ozpin sat in his office, his hands folded on his desk. Glynda and Ironwood each stood on one of his sides, both of them glaring angrily at a figure in the chair on the opposite side of Ozpin's desk. The elevator door on the far side of the room opened, revealing Team RWBY, or what was left of it. The girls stepped into the office and walked up to the desk.

"You wanted to see up Professor?" Blake said nervously, rubbing her arm.

"Yes... I have some news for you... I just need to wait for... Ah yes, right on time." Ozpin said, giving a small smile as two figures stepped out of the other elevator, Qrow and Tai Xiao Long. "I believe I have some information that all of you will be delighted to hear, or rather, our friend here does..."

The figure in the chair gave a small, and incredibly nervous half-smile as all eyes in the room turned on her. The girl swallowed hard, gently pushing a strand of pink hair out of her face, her eyes, one brown and one pink, darting around from person to person, finally resting on Yang, causing her expression to grow even more uneasy.

"Girls, Qrow, Tai... This girl is Neo Politan, an ex member of the White Fang, one Torchwick's right hand. She is here to give us some information she feels would be beneficial to us." Ozpin said calmly, his eyes not moving from Neo's face.

"Proffessor Ozpin, whatever information she has for us is going to be complete bullshit! She's tried to kill us on multiple occasions, and has been loyal to the White Fang for years!" Yang half-yelled, glaring angrily at the girl, who shrunk back in her seat.

"That, Miss Xiao Long, is where you are actually incorrect. You see, Miss Polatin is not loyal to the White Fang, and least of all Cinder. She was only ever loyal to one man..." Ozpin explained, Neo nodding slightly as confirmation.

"Roman Torchwick?" Blake said, glancing at Neo, who nodded before looking down sadly, a small tear streaking down her cheek.

"Exactly...Now, if you will deliver your message Miss Politan?" Ozpin said, gesturing to her.

Neo picked up a small pad of paper and a pen, and began quickly writing down on it:

 _I know I haven't done much to earn your trust, but you have to trust me. Your friend, Ruby, is alive._

Everyone read the paper as she held it up, their eyes going wide.

"And how can we know you're telling the truth?" Ozpin asked carefully, eyeing the girl with slight suspicion.

 _Because, I want no part in Cinder's plans. She's completely crazy, and will use any method she can conceive to get what she wants. I don't approve of the way she does things, she isn't like Roman._

"Where is she then, where's Ruby?!" Yang demanded, grabbing Neo's shoulders tightly, causing her to give a panicked look, shrinking even further back.

"Miss Xiao Long, may I ask you to please not manhandle the poor girl? She's obviously frightened, and we don't need you making it any worse." Glynda said, crossing her arms and giving Yang a stern look.

"Yes ma'am, I'm sorry... I just..."

"We all understand how you feel, but you must understand that we must take our time with this." Ozpin said with a small smile. "Now, Miss Politan, would you mind telling us where we can find her?"

 _I can't tell you, but I can take you there. Only I know how to get passed all of the traps that they laid out against you._

"I suppose that is acceptable, we will prepare a team for recovery, you will leave tomorrow morning, as I'm sure you are tired from the long journey here." Ozpin said with a small smile. "If it is alright, Team RWBY, since I'm sure you are no doubt going to be apart of the mission, with or without authorization, I am going to assign her to your room for the night."

Yang opened her mouth to protest, but Blake gave her a small shake of the head. Weiss gave a small nod and turned on her heel, making her way to the elevator. Yang and Blake came after her, followed, with some slight motivation from Ozpin, by Neo.

As the elevator door closed, leaving the girls in the slightly darkened space, there was a flurry of movement, followed by a _thud_ and a small whimpering sound. Blake and Weiss both turned around, shock on their faces as they saw Neo dangling from the ground, pressed against the wall by Yang, who was holding her up by the throat.

"Listen here... You may have Ozpin fooled, but I don't trust you at all. If you do anything that makes me think that you're a threat to me or any of the others, I will personally rip out your spine and choke you with it, got it?" Yang said, her voice practically a low growl.

Neo nodded hysterically as she tugged at Yang's hand, trying to free herself from the grip. Yang finally let go when both Blake and Weiss yanked her away, letting Neo collapse to the floor, couching and gasping for air.

"Yang, what the Hell? She's here trying to help us, obviously frightened out of her mind, and you think that chocking her out and threatening her is a good idea?!" Blake said angrily as Yang wrenched her arm from their grip.

"I was letting her know what would happen if she decided to sell us out!" Yang said, storming out of the elevator angrily as the doors slid open.

Weiss helped Neo up and led her down the hallway, finally making it to their bedroom. Yang was already in her bed, turned towards the wall, obviously not wanting to be bothered.

"Here, I have a nightgown that should fit you." Weiss said, handing the small, white, silky fabric to Neo, who gave a small smile and nodded.

Neo moved to the corner and began undressing, Weiss looked away, but upon turning to look for her own nightgown, something caught her eye. Scars, at least ten of them, not even fully healed were covering Neo's back. They looked quite recent, and couldn't have been there for long.

"Are those okay, here, let me clean them, so they don't get infected." Weiss said, patting the bed and stepping into the bathroom, returning with a large bottle, gauze, and some cotton balls.

Neo shook her head slight, giving her a small smile as she jotted something down on her note pad.

 _It's alright, don't worry about me._

"Nonsense, we can't have you weak from injury while on a mission, now come and lay down." Weiss said in a stern, yet gentle tone.

Neo simply nodded, moving forwards and laying flat on her stomach. Weiss poured some liquid from the bottle onto a cotton ball and began dabbing the cuts that covered the girl's back. As the cotton ball made contact, Neo's eyes shot open, her fists clenching and toes curling as the stinging pain shot through her back.

"I'm sorry, it's going to sting for a bit, but it'll keep it from being infected..." Weiss said, continuing to dab away. "Who did this to you, was it a Grimm?"

Neo shook her head, tears falling from her eyes. She carefully wrote down a single word on the notepad with a shaking hand.

 _Cinder_

Weiss's eyes widened, suddenly realizing why the girl was here. Realizing why she was so jumpy, looking as though something was after her. "Roman was the only one that ever treated you nicely, wasn't he?"

Neo nodded, tears flowing freely down her cheeks and onto the bed sheets as she began writing again.

 _When I was little, I was experimented on by Atlas. They did things to me, injected me with medicines... He was the one who found me in that laboratory. He rescued me, he was kind to me. He was always there when I needed him, but now... He's gone, and I had noone. I thought things would be okay with Cinder, but without Roman there, she was cruel and abusive. Every tiny mistake was punished with pain. I know what I did was wrong, and you may ever forgive me but... For what it's worth, I'm sorry. I never really wanted to hurt anyone. I was just afraid what would happen to me if I didn't... I didn't want to go back to some laboratory..._

"It's alright, I know it couldn't have been easy for you. There was nothing you did that someone else wouldn't have done in your position. You were scared, simple as that." Weiss said, giving the girl a gently smile and carefully wrapping the long white bandages around her torso. "Now try and get some sleep, alright?"

Neo nodded, gently closing her eyes as she drifted off into a dreamless sleep...

 **End Note: So, how did you guys like that chapter? I hope you like reading this story as much as I do making it! I'm already halfway done writing the next chapter already, as well as almost finished with another little story that focuses on the small mute cutie that we know as Neo. Chiao!**


	4. Chapter 4

It had been at least two days since Ruby had spoken to the other woman, though she wasn't entirely sure. It wasn't easy to keep track of time when there was no clock or windows in her cell. She didn't really care though, anything was better than being tortured... Though this was close. She could hear the woman's screams from down the hall, knowing they were doing to her whatever they had done to Ruby for refusing to give them their information.

Ruby looked down at her boots sadly as she slowly ate the small amount of brown mush and water she had been served. It was no 5-star meal, but it was better than the nothing she had received over the past few days. She had been given no food, and the only water she got was when they put a cloth over her face and soaked it with water, causing her to feel as if she was drowning. She shuddered at the thought, and tried to turn her attention back to her food.

Neo woke up early that morning in a panic, freezing up and temporarily for getting where she was, and why she was there. As she started to calm down, the door to the bathroom opened, and Blake stepped out, wrapped in a towel.

"Oh, hey. Weiss and Yang already went down to breakfast. The shower's right in there if you want one, and your clothes are on top of Weiss's dresser, along with your umbrella." Blake said with a small smile. "I umm... I heard Weiss talking last night... And I understand why you left... I might not entirely trust you, but I don't hate you. I think you were brave for turning your back on her."

Neo gave the girl a bright smile as she stood up and slipped passed her and into the bathroom. Not more than twenty seconds later, and Neo found herself in the shower, the water pouring down onto her head, letting all her current worries wash away with all of the dirt and grime she had acquired while in the wild. One of her hands carefully traveled to her back, where she gently rubbed the cuts, which were starting to heal now.

She sighed and began to wash herself, rubbing the shampoo through her hair and washing herself from head to toe. After about twenty minutes, she stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around herself. She stepped our into the room and began dressing herself. She only had time to put on her pants before the door was opened, and the three girls stepped in.

Neo looked over at them as Weiss and Blake each gave her a soft smile. Yang's face however was different, it wasn't angry, like Neo expected, more of... Sad. Neo tilted her head curiously, but continued to dress herself nonetheless.

"Ozpin said that we're supposed to leave in twenty minutes, so you might wanna get ready." Blake said, picking up a small backpack and throwing it over her shoulder.

Neo nodded and finished dressing, turning to follow Blake and Weiss, who had just both left the room. She was stopped, however, by a hand on her shoulder, Yang's

"Listen... Weiss told me what happened to you. And I just wanted to say sorry for yesterday. I was over-emotional, and reckless, and I didn't mean to hurt you." She said quietly, looking down.

Neo gave the girl a soft smile and nodded, giving Yang a small thumbs up. Yang gave a small half-smile and removed her hand. "Now let's go and get my sister, and your revenge, huh?"

Ruby gave a small groan of pain as she slowly rose from the floor, limping towards the door of her cell, where Cinder currently stood. "You're becoming quite the obedient pet, aren't you?" Cinder said with a smirk, crossing her arms. She slipped the blindfold back over Ruby's eyes. "We're going to have another chat with Miss... Ari, was it?"

Ruby said nothing but followed the sound of Cinder's footsteps, stepping into the cell where Summer lay, still panting heavily from her latest round of interrogation.

"Well Miss Ari, I've brought Ruby back to try and convince you once more. And I would hope you don't disappoint me again, or the consequences will be quite severe..." Cinder said, glancing at Ruby and causing Summer to give a small whimpering noise.

"H-hello again Ruby..." Summer said, tears forming in her eyes again.

"Hello Ari... You don't sound well... Are you sick?" Ruby said, some slight concern in her voice.

"N-no, I'm fine... Just weak and tired is all... They haven't fed me or let me sleep in days... Since you arrived actually..." Summer said, looking over at the small girl, who was once again sitting on the small stool next to the table, a blindfold over her eyes.

"Why don't you give them what they want? I can hear you when they're doing it... Surely is can't be worth all of this?" Ruby said, her voice sounding more pleading than anything.

"I...I can't... I just can't Ruby... I'm sorry..." Summer said as Mercury and Emerald walked into the room.

"Here's what you wanted, it was a piece of cake." Mercury said, smirking as he handed something to Cinder, who smiled widely and pocketed the item.

"Good job you two. Now, I have another task for you, and I believe you already know what it is." Cinder said, leaving the cell. "And be sure to do it so she can watch..."

Getting back to the compound was far easier than getting out of it, that much was clear to Neo. Though, she supposed it didn't hurt that she had been half starved, tired, and had been whipped rather harshly only an hour previous to her departure. Team RWBY, along with Qrow, Ironwood, and Winter all followed her through the dense jungle trees as she guided them through the foliage, avoiding traps and nests of Grimm that they would have stumbled into had she not been there.

Winter was walking beside Weiss, her arm around her sister's shoulders, a reassuring smile on her face. "We're gonna get her back, and make sure Cinder pays, I promise."

"But how do we know? Even if Neo is telling the truth and this is where they were, what if they moved? What if they decided Ruby wasn't worth keeping and killed her?" Weiss said, tears welling up in her eyes. "I can't bare the thought of losing her... Not again..."

"I know, but you have to stay positive. If it was you that was captured and her here trying to rescue you, do you think she would be moping like this?" Winter said with a small hug.

"No... She'd be trying to keep everyone's spirits high... And doing everything she could to find me..." Wiess said, her head rising as she gave a small sniff. "And I should do the same."

"That's the spirit kid." Qrow said with a small smile as he passed the sister's, one hand holding his silver flask, the other placing itself on Winter's shoulder, giving her a small wink, to which she rolled her eyes.

"Umm... Winter... Did he just..."

"Yes he did."

"And are you two..."

"I don't see how that is at all relevant to the current situation!" Winter said, her face going bright red.

The rest of the group smirked, all except Ironwood, who simply frowned at Qrow, who gave him a small, confident smirk.

"Are we almost there Neo?" Blake said, jogging for a few meters to catch up to the girl, who already had a note written, holding it up for the Faunus to see.

 _We'll get there when we get there._

Blake was about to retort when Neo hastily scribbled something on her pad. It was slightly too late however, as Yang bumped into Blake, who stumbled forwards, and tripped over a large metal hatch in the ground, hitting her head against a tree. Neo winced and held up her note:

 _We're here._

Blake, who had fallen into a bush, could only be partially seen, as only one of her legs and her arms were sticking out. Both of her fists clenched, except for a very distinct finger on each hand, both pointed at Neo, who frowned and scribbled another note as the girl rose to her feet.

 _Rude_

Qrow held up a hand and stepped towards the hatch, bending down and slowly opening it with a loud _creeeeeeak_.

"So umm... Who's first?" Blake said as they all peered down into the pitch black below.

"I'll go first and make sure it's safe." Winter said, stepping forwards and positioning herself on the think ladder that lead down.

As quietly as she could, Winter made her way down the ladder, and soon vanished from sight. Weiss and Ironwood both looked slightly nervous until they heard her whisper from the bottom. "It's all clear, come down."

The group began decending one by one. Qrow held out his hand however, before Ironwood reached the ladder. "We need someone to stay back here and cover our escape. And we both know which of us is going to get her." Qrow said, Ironwood nodding in agreement.

"Take care of them."

"I always do Jimmy..."

Qrow decended the ladder, Ironwood closing the hatch behind him, but not sealing it. When Qrow finally got to the bottom, the girls were already waiting. The group took off down the hallway, with Neo in the lead. They reached a four way intersection, where Neo had stopped, looking down all three hallways.

Blake had opened her mouth to ask which one they needed to go down when they all heard it. A loud, ear-piercing shriek echoing down the halls from their right. Neo turned and led the group at full speed down the hallway, towards the screams of their teammate...

Ruby screamed again as Cinder dragged a finger up her left sole, leaving a bright red burn from heel to toe. The small girl panted heavily, sweat and tears soaking the black cloth still covering her eyes. Summer was sobbing heavily. She was tied to a small chair facing Ruby; her head had been bound as well, forcing her to look directly at the girl as she was tortured mercilessly by the black haired woman standing before her.

"You can stop the girl's pain at any time you know..." Cinder said, dragging another finger up Ruby's leg, causing the girl to shriek even more. "And I'll have you know, it'll only get worse from here..."

Summer watched wit horror as Cider's finger slowly made it's way up Ruby's leg, leaving a large burn in it's wake. She moved across the girl's ankle, her shin, up her knee, and began on the thigh, with Ruby's screams getting more and more intense the farther up she went.

"Stop! I'll tell you, I'll tell you! Please, just stop..." Summer said, sobbing as Cinder smiles, removing her finger, which had just reached the top of Ruby's thigh.

"Good choice, it would've gotten quite painful after another inch or so..." Cinder said teasingly, giving Ruby a small pat on the cheek. "Now, about that information..."

Neo led the group down several passageways as they heard the screams getting louder and more frequent. By the time they rounded the final corner, they were all completely out of breath, save for Qrow, who had turned into a crow and rested on Winter's shoulder.

"Hey, one of us needs to have the stamina to fight." Was his only defense as he turned back, grabbing his weapon and bringing it into full scythe mode. "Wait... Hold on..."

He pressed his ear to the door, his eyes widening as he heard the voices on the other side. One he knew belonged to Cinder, and another to Ruby. The last one was familiar as well, though he had never thought he'd hear it again...

"Summer..." He breathed, the others all giving him a look of confusion.

"What did you say Qrow, we can't hear-" Winter began quietly, but was interrupted as Qrow's scythe collided with the door, wrenching it open with a loud screeching noise.

Qrow stood in the doorway, his scythe at the ready, a scowl on his face as the dust began to clear from the air. He was almost completely incinerated by a fireball, and the only thing that denied it was a large silver glyph symbol that absorbed the attack. Qrow charged forwards, Winter and Yang at his sides. Cinder, however, stayed completely still, smirking as their attacks went completely through her, her body disappearing, practically evaporating into smoke.

"Maybe next time Qrow..." Her voice said, echoing from seemingly everywhere. "Take them, I no longer care... I got what I needed..."

The rest of the group rushed into the room. Weiss and Yang both began hurriedly undoing the straps binding Ruby in the chair, helping her to her feet.

"I knew... You'd come... for me..." She said weakly, a small smile forming before she fell forwards, only to be caught by Yang.

Yang picked Ruby up, carrying her bridal style as the small girl slept soundly in her big sisters arms. Winter told Yang to lay her on the table, where she began examining the girl's many, many, many injuries.

The group was huddled around the table as Winter worked, all except Qrow. Yang turned around, a puzzled look on her face as she looked at her Uncle.

"Umm, Uncle Qrow, is something wrong?" She said, taking a small step towards him.

Qrow said nothing, but continued staring at the woman that was still tied to the other chair. Yang gave a slightly puzzled look, as she could only see the back of her head. The woman's hair looked oddly familiar; it was short and black, with red on the ends, a lot like Ruby's. Yang walked around the chair slowly, looking at the woman's face, who smiled softly at her.

"M-mom?" Yang said, her voice hoarse, tears springing to her eyes.

Summer nodded gently, and gave a small grunt of pain as Yang wrapped her arms tightly around the woman's heavily abused body. Summer smiled softly, despite the pain coursing through her.

"Hey Yang... Long time no see..." She said, her voice quiet and raspy.

Tears spilled out from Yang's eyes as she hugged her tightly. She quickly undid the bindings restraining Summer to her chair, allowing her to stand on somewhat shaky legs. Qrow offered her his cape, and muttered something about 'catching a cold', which she wrapped around herself, giving him a small smile.

A small groan came from the table, and attention was turned back to Ruby, who was sweating heavily. "Her cuts are infected... I don't have any medicine to treat her here, we'd have to take her bak to Beacon." Winter said, taking her jacket and draping it over the girl before picking her up gently. "We need to hurry!"

The group hurried back out into the hallways, where they began the trip back towards the hatch through which they had entered.

"Hey guys, don't you think it's kinda funny how there have been no guards? No White Fang, no Emerald, no Mercury... Nobody but Cinder?" Weiss said nervously as they made their way quickly down the hallway. "It's so unlike her to leave something so easy to get into..."

They reached the small intersection where they had first heard Ruby's screams and all turned left, except Neo, who simply froze.

Blake stopped, turning around to look at the small girl. "Neo, what are you doing, come on!"

Neo seemed not to hear her; she simply took a small step forwards, looking down a dark hallway, where the noise of a single pair of boots was coming. As the sounds go closer, the group readied their weapons, preparing to take on anything that might come out of the hallway. But to their surprise, it wasn't Emerald, or Mercury, or even Cinder coming back. The one that stepped out of the shadows, wore a large white coat with a black feathered hat, a long metal cane, and a cigar in his mouth... Roman.

Neo took another step closer, her eyes wide and shining with tears. He extended both arms outwards, giving the small girl a large smile. She ran towards him, her arms outstretched to embrace the man; then it happened.

Suddenly Neo froze again, her eyes bulging slightly. The group watched in silent horror as blood dripped from the two large stab wounds in the girl's chest. Neo, looked down and coughed, blood shooting out of her mouth as Roman disappeared, leaving Emerald in his place, both of her knives through Neo's chest, a smirk on her face.

"Traitorous bitch..." She said, removing the blades and letting Neo drop to her knees, then quickly to the floor, clutching her wounds, her face still showing her shock as blood pooled around her.

Yang was the first to move, leaving Qrow to support Summer. She ran forwards, her eyes glowing red and her hair golden as she began bombarding the green-haired girl with blow after blow from her gauntlets, the shotguns firing with each punch. Her final one sent Emerald clear through a wall, the rest of the wall falling down on top of her.

By the time Yang had caught her breath and turned around, Blake and Weiss were already hoisting Neo up, with Weiss using a small white Dust crystal to freeze Neo's chest, holding the bleeding for the time being.

"That ice is going to melt, so we need to get these guys to Beacon fast!" Weiss said as Blake carefully held Neo in her arms.

The group once again set off down the hallways, thankful that Winter, who was leading the way, remembered the way that they came, as Neo was unconscious.

"Qrow, what took you guys so long, what happened to Ruby and Neo, who is-" Ironwood began as the group made their way out of the hatch.

"Not important, transport, now!" Qrow said, letting Summer lean against a tree as Blake and Winter placed Neo and Ruby side-by-side next to her.

Ironwood took a small radio from one of the inner pockets of his jacket and flipped it on, giving the pilot of the transport the new coordinates for their pickup. After a small argument about missiles and defenses, the pilot finally agreed, and within moments, was landing in a small clearing about thirty yards away. The group made their way to the ship, loading the wounded teammate on first, before embarking themselves, with Ironwood promising that if the ship wasn't at top speed the whole way, he would have them both relieved of duty.

Ruby awoke several hours later, shooting up in her bed and yelling something incomprehensible. Her hair was plastered to her face with sweat, and her eyes were wide and alert as she took deep, heavy breaths.

"Ruby, it's okay, calm down!" Weiss said, placing her hand over Ruby's, which had clenched into a fist. "You're back home, at Beacon. You're in the infirmary."

"The... The infirmary?" Ruby said, holding her free hand up to her head and giving a small groan. "Yeah that's right... You... Rescued me..."

"Yeah, we did." Weiss said, smiling up at the girl, tears in her eyes. "You're gonna be okay now..."

"What about that other girl, the one that was there with me?" Ruby said, looking slightly worried.

"She's okay too... But... Ruby... Did you ever... See her face?" Weiss said, her voice sounding slightly curious.

Ruby shook her head. "Whenever we were allowed to talk, I had to wear a blindfold... But, she said her name was Ari... That's all I really remember about her..."

"Ari... But that isn't..." Weiss began, but was cut short by another voice.

"I had to go by another name... Cinder wouldn't allow her to know who I really was..." Said a weak voice from the other bed."Or else she might start resisting again."

Both Weiss and Ruby looked over at the bed next to Ruby's, Summer's smiling face looking back at them.

"Oh, you're awake! I'm sorry if we woke you ma'am..." Weiss said with a small smile.

"Nonsense, you're happy to see Ruby had woken up, I can't blame you for that. And besides, if I slept any more anyways, I think I'd medically be in a coma..." She said with a soft chuckle.

Weiss rolled her eyes, still smiling slightly. "Well, if you're awake now, I'll let the others know they can visit." She said, pulling out her Scroll and beginning to type.

Summer's eyes left Weiss and turned to Ruby, who had been silently staring at her the whole time. "Y-you... You're... I..." She said weakly, her eyes widening and full of tears, the heart monitor next to her beeping quickly.

"Hi Ruby..." Summer said, her eyes sparkling with tears.

Tears streaked down Ruby's cheeks as she looked at her mother for the first time in thirteen years. The monitor continued beeping faster, Weiss looking up at it, worry striking her face.

"I... I don't... I..." Ruby said, her voice barely audible.

"Ruby... Ruby, calm down..." Weiss said, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder.

Ruby's breathing increased in speed as she looked at the woman laying across from her, who now shared Weiss's concern. "Ruby sweetie, take a deep breath okay, you need to calm down..." She said, trying to sound as soothing as possible. "You've been through a lot, you shouldn't get yourself worked up like this."

"B-but how are you... I thought... We all..." She said, wincing slightly and holding her chest, her eyes bulging slighty.

"Ruby!" Both Weiss and Summer shouted, Summer practically flying out of bed as Ruby fell sideways, gasping for breath.

"I'll go get a nurse!" Weiss said, running out of the room as fast as she could.

"Ruby, please calm down, just breath, okay?" Summer said, placing a hand over Ruby's hands which were still clutching her chest, while her other hand stroked the girl's hair.

 **End Note: And then there was another bombshell, though not as big as the first bombshell, but still! Tell me how you guys are liking the story so far, and what I can do or take away to make it more enjoyable! Chiao!**


	5. Chapter 5

"To be honest, I don't really blame the kid, I nearly had a heart attack myself... Plus, she's been through a lot over the past week and a half, more than any sixteen year old ever should..." Qrow said with a small sigh.

Summer gave a small nod, looking over at the girl, who was currently out cold once again. "To be quite honest, with the things they did to her... I'm surprised she didn't have an total mental breakdown..."

"Do you think she'll be alright?" Weiss said quietly from beside Ruby's bed. She had not left the girl's side since she came back with the nurse, holding her hand tightly, and barely moving at all, let along speaking before now.

"The doctor said it was a minor heart attack, and there shouldn't be long term effects. It was just the stress of everything piling up so quickly..." Said Ozpin from the doorway, causing everyone to look at him. "But she should be perfectly fine when she wakes up."

They all smiled happily at the news, before Summer spoke again. "What about that Neo girl, the one that helped us escape, is she alright?"

"That... Is actually why I am here right now..." Ozpin said slowly, taking a seat next to Summer's bed and sighing. "When you all got back, it was chaotic as the doctors tried to treat the three of you at once. Her wounds, being the most fatal, were treated first. It appears Emerald's knives pierced both of her lungs, and the only reason she wasn't dead upon arrival is because of Weiss's quick thinking."

Weiss gave a small smile as Blake patted her on the shoulder, though she looked a bit grim. "But that isn't all, is it?"

"No, it isn't... You see, those experiments Neo was subjected to as a young girl... well, they seem to have given her above average speed and intelligence, allowing her to out-think and out-maneuver her opponents... But it also works in other ways. The speed in which she moves also accelerates her body's cell duplication, allowing her to heal much faster than a normal person. By the time she had even gotten to the infirmary, her lungs were healed, and the wounds had all but closed." Ozpin said, obviously choosing his words carefully.

"So, if she's all better, where is she, can we see her?" Blake said curiously, raising an eyebrow.

"That is where the bad news comes in. As soon as she awoke, her wounds healed, Ironwood took her, claiming that she was a criminal, and could lead them to Mercury, Emerald, and Cinder... She was brought to his ship to be... Interrogated..." He said solemnly, looking down as he began pacing. "I tried to reason with him, but he wouldn't have it, telling me that if I even tried to stop him, he'd shoot me. I have no doubt in my mind that I could overpower him, but I have to think of the repercussions that would have on Beacon as a whole. If the Headmaster attacks Atlas' head general over a criminal, what reputation would that give us..."

"So you're going to let them have her, and probably torture her?!" Weiss said frantically. "The only reason she joined Roman was because he saved her from Atlas's cruel experiments. Do you have any idea how terrified she must be right now! And besides, if she knew anything about Cinder, I can say for sure that she would tell you of her own free will, with no need for any of this!"

"I tried explaining that to him, but despite everything he still thinks that the moment we turn around she'll stab us in the back." Ozpin said sadly, placing a hand on her shoulder. "We have to approach this calmly, or else we might start something irreversible."

Qrow gave a small groan, rolling his eyes as he made his way towards the door. "I'll go have a talk with Jimmy about this..."

"No, Qrow, we don't need to making things worse than they already are. Glynda is already on her way to try and talk some sense into him. I don't need you barging in and guaranteeing the girl's permanent imprisonment." Ozpin said, putting a hand on the man's shoulder. "Just stay here and let her take care of it."

Qrow looked at Ozpin and shook his head, letting out a long sigh. "I guess my hands are tied with this one... I'm gonna go get a drink..."

Before Ozpin could stop him, Qrow had shaken off his hand and walked out, letting the door shut behind him with a small _click_. Ozpin simply shook his head before turning back towards the rest of them, giving a small smile. "Don't worry, I'm sure our new friend will be back with us in no time." He said before slowly turning on his heel and opening the door. "Get well soon Summer, and Ruby too."

Without another word, Ozpin left, the door shutting behind him with another soft _click_ , leaving the room in silence once more. Yang sighed, sitting in a chair between her mother's and sister's beds, shaking her head slowly.

"I mean, it isn't like I think Neo deserves this but... She is really dangerous, and she's hurt a lot of people... I don't think she deserves what's going on now, but Ironwood isn't completely wrong..." The blonde said, looking down shamefully. "I must sound like a terrible person for saying that... I mean, she almost died helping us rescue Ruby and Mom..."

"Nobody really blames you Yang, I mean, she did a lot of horrible things. But still, look at her... She can't be any older than Ruby, and she's gone through complete Hell... And now she's back there again." Summer said, her voice soft and soothing, holding the busty blonde's hand gently. "When I was back there, before Ruby got there, she was in charge of taking care of me. Making sure I didn't die from infection and dehydration... For the longest time, she barely even looked at me, and when she did, she only had this cocky smile on her face... But one day I noticed she seemed different. She had obviously been crying, and she was a lot more gentle when she cleaned my wounds."

"That must've been when Roman died..." Yang said, trying to remember the event. "He was trying to rob a warehouse full of Dust when professor Oobleck and team JNPR were sent to stop him. During the fight, there was a fire, and it set off a crate of red Dust crystals, which in turn sent the whole warehouse up in an explosion. The only reason Oobleck and the others survived was because Nora used her hammer to launch them out..."

"Well, whoever this Roman guy was, he seemed to be important to her. He also seemed to be the one that sort of kept between Cinder and Neo, because after that, whenever Cinder and Neo came in together, she seemed completely terrified of her." Summer said, shaking her head softly. "I couldn't help but feel bad for her... And when they brought Ruby in she seemed even more nervous. Every time she came in to treat me, she was always checking over her shoulder, and she was really jumpy."

Yang opened her mouth to say something else, but she was interrupted from a small groan from Ruby's bed. The girl's eyes opened slowly, revealing the soft silver color underneath. She raised a hand to her head and groaned again. "Uhhg... What happened..."

"Hey Ruby, how're you feeling..." Weiss said nervously, giving Ruby's other hand a gentle squeeze.

"I'm... Better. My head still hurts kinda bad though... What happened? All I remember is my chest hurting really bad, then I passed out." Ruby said, sitting up in her bed and returning Weiss's squeeze.

"You... Had a heart attack... The doctor thinks it's from all of the stress from what's happened recently." Weiss said with a comforting smile. "But I'm glad you're okay now."

"A heart attack..." Ruby said quietly, looking down at her free hand and giving a small sigh. "Well, I feel fine now..."

"Glad to hear it!" Yang said, smiling brightly, standing up and ruffling the girl's hair. "I'll go tell the others you're awake!"

Ruby gave a small smile as Yang rushed from the room. Her attention was caught again, however, when she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head to see Summer smiling softly, tears in her eyes. Her eyes widened as she remembered what had happened just before she collapsed, and she gave a small, almost whimpering sound, tears springing to her own eyes.

It happened so quickly that Weiss honestly had no idea how she ended up on the floor. Sitting up, slightly dazed by the sudden rush of movement that had taken place, she looked at Ruby's bed, which was now empty. Turning around, she say Ruby, her arms around Summer's neck, her face buried in her mother's shoulder, sobbing hysterically.

Summer wrapped her arms around Ruby, tears leaking out of her eyes as well. "I'm so glad you're okay..." She said, her voice cracking as she tried to hold back her own sobs, though it was obvious that was a losing battle.

"H-how are y-you h-here?" Ruby said, her voice muffled, her head still buried in the woman's shoulder.

"It's a long story... I'll tell it later, when we have more time." Summer said, smiling softly as she gently rubbed up and down the smaller girl's back, trying to calm her down.

Weiss smiled as she watched the reunion, tears in her own eyes as well. After a few moments, Ruby finally lifted her head a bit, giving a small sniff as she turned and smiled at Weiss. "I'm sorry I knocked you down... I just..."

"Up, up, up, no excuses. You don't have to apologize for that." Weiss said, giving the girl a gentle smile. "However, if you EVER make me worry like that again, I'm going to personally lock you in our room every time we go on a mission!"

Ruby nodded quickly, her eyes widening slightly. "Yes ma'am!"

Summer gave a small giggle at the exchange, giving Ruby's hand a small squeeze. "You have quite the dedicated girlfriend here. She hasn't left your side since we first got back."

Ruby's smile grew as she looked at Weiss. "I am pretty lucky, huh?"

Weiss opened her mouth, a retort ready, but was cut short as the door opened, several people filing in. Team JNPR, along with Sun, Neptune, Yang, Blake, and Qrow all entered, smiling brightly.

"Yang told us you woke up, so we thought we'd come see how you were doing." Pyrrha said happily, giving Ruby a small smile.

"Hopefully you're getting your strength back." Blake said, sitting herself on Ruby's bed.

"Strong enough to strangle me half to death." Summer said, a collective laugh following, along with Ruby quickly letting go, her face slightly red.

"You could have told me it hurt..." She mumbled quietly.

"I haven't seen you in thirteen years, do you think I'd let a few bruises stop me from squeezing you till your eyes popped out?" Summer said, poking her on the nose gently.

Ruby gave a small giggle as she tried wriggling out of her mother's embrace. "Crushing me... Can't breath... Light fading..." She said, swooning dramatically.

"Oh, don't be so over-dramatic..." Summer said, squeezing the small girl.

"Umm, Mom... I think you're actually killing her." Yang said, causing the group to laugh again.

Summer released Ruby, who promptly fell off the bed with a small 'oomf'. Summer's face was completely pink.

"So, Ruby, Professor Ozpin said that if you're feeling up to it, you can return to classes tomorrow!" Yang said happily, helping her sister to her feet. "And Mom is gonna be released too!"

"Really? Yeah! Though, I'm like two weeks late on Professor Port's essay on Beowolves... Not to mention all of the other homework and stuff I've missed..." Ruby began, talking so fast the rest could barely understand her.

"Ruby... Ruby you need... Ruby please stop... RUBY!" Yang yelled, causing the girl to jump and become suddenly silent.

"I'm sure that the teachers will forgive you for a weeks worth of work considering what happened." Yang said, smiling as she crossed her arms.

"Well, it'll be nice to get back to normal." Ruby said with a bright smile.

"Speaking of back to normal..." A voice said from the doorway.

Everyone turned to look at the owner of the voice, and saw Ozpin walking in, taking a sip from his mug. "Have you given any thought to the offer I gave you Summer?"

"I've... Thought about it, yes." Summer said, obviously choosing her words carefully. "And I think I've decided to take you up on it... It'll give me more time with Ruby, and more time to think of how to talk to Tai..."

"Is he still unaware of your... Situation?" Ozpin said, raising an eyebrow.

"He knows I'm in the hospital, yes..." Summer said nervously, twiddling her thumbs.

"You know that isn't the situation I was talking about." Ozpin said with a somewhat condescending look, causing Summer to shrink back slightly.

"He... Is aware, yes... And that's the problem... He found out just before I went on my last mission. We argued about it almost all night, and it ended with me leaving for my mission early..." Summer explained, her face turning sad.

"I see... Well, I'm sure everything will work out in the end." Ozpin said with a gentle smile, turning to leave the room. "Now, students, I think your next class starts in five minutes..."

Jaune looked down at his watch, his eyes widening as the color drained from his face. "Oh god we're gonna be late, Professor Oobleck is gonna kill us!"

((Somewhere across the school, many students heard a voice, screaming something that sounded like to word "Doctor" to the heavens...))

The group rushed out of the room after Ozpin, each of them promising they would return after dinner that evening to visit again. A few minutes later found Ruby and Summer alone in the room. Ruby was laying on her mother's bed, her head in the woman's lap as Summer gently stroked her finger's through Ruby's hair.

"Excited to get back to classes tomorrow?" Summer said with a small smile as Ruby's eyes began drooping.

"Yeah, it'll be nice to have things back to normal..." Ruby said, yawning softly. "Oh... What was the offer Professor Ozpin gave you?"

"You'll see tomorrow." Summer said with a small wink, patting the girl's head gently. "For now, just get some rest, you have classes tomorrow."

As promised, Summer and Ruby were released from the hospital early the next morning. The doctor advised both of them to take it easy for a few days, however, when he noticed both girls weren't paying any attention, he simply rolled his eyes and pointed them to the door.

"So, what are you gonna do?" Ruby asked her mother excitedly as they made their way towards Team RWBY's dorm room.

"I think I'm gonna head into town and get some clothes. I like the stuff Glynda lent me and all but... It isn't really... Me..." Summer said with a small smile as they approached the door. "Now, good luck in classes, and try not to exert yourself too much, okay?"

"Alright, I'll try and be good." Ruby said, smiling brightly as her mother kissed her forehead and turned on her heel, waving goodbye as Ruby entered her room.

The first thing Ruby saw when she entered the room was a bright flash of yellow hair. The next thing she saw was herself being squeezed half to death by the blonde brawler she called her sister.

"Yang... I can't breath... Let go..." She said, trying to wriggle herself out of the hug. "You just saw me yesterday, what's the big deal?"

"Hey, it's your first day back in classes, it's a big deal, okay?" Yang said, smiling happily.

The rest of the team had already donned their uniforms and were sitting on their beds, or rather, Weiss was sitting on her bed, smiling over at the red-hooded girl. Blake however was laying down, with her head in the lap of a familiar, shirtless boy.

"Sup." Sun said simply, raising a hand in greeting, his other hand gently scratching between Blake's ears, enticing small purring noises from the Faunus girl.

"Hi Sun, when did you get here?" Ruby said curiously as she opened one of her drawers, taking out a uniform and fresh underwear.

"Oh you know, like five minutes ago." Sun said with a shrug. "Figured I'd come and hang out and go to class with you guys."

"Well, I'll be ready in a few minutes. I''m just gonna take a quick shower, then I'll be good to go!" Ruby said, hurrying into the bathroom.

The girls chatted with Sun as Ruby showered, coming back out about ten minutes later, her hair still slightly wet. "Ready to go!" She said with a large grin as the rest stood up.

"Welp, first class is with Professor Port." Weiss said, as they all marched out into the hall and made their way through the school to the plump man's classroom.

After a very boring tale of a time in Port's childhood where he supposedly arm wrestled an Ursa, the bell finally rang, announcing Lunch. "Remember children, I wan that essay on Nevermores on my desk by next Tuesday, or it's detention!"

The class slowly shuffled out of the classroom and towards the mess hall, all poking fun at Professor Port's tall tale. When they finally arrived at the mess hall, they loaded their trays and sat down, shortly being joined by Neptune and Team JNPR.

"So, what class do we have next, sparring with Goodwitch, right?" Blake said, taking a bite of her tuna sandwich.

"Yeah... I hope she doesn't make me sit out today." Ruby said, sounding slightly doubtful as she poked at her mashed potatoes with her fork.

"Don't worry, I'm sure she'll let you fight, as long as you fight Jaune." Nora said happily , taking a bite of chicken.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!" Jaune said indignantly, looking at the orange haired girl.

"Well, I mean you're sort of-" She began to reply, but was cut short by Ren, who placed his hand over her mouth.

"Nora, please stop talking..." He said quietly as Jaune looked slightly put out.

"Oh come on Jaune, you've definitely improved since we first met!" Pyrrha said encouragingly, giving him a pat on the shoulder.

"It's alright, I know I'm not the best fighter." Jaune said, taking a large bite of his pizza.

"Don't worry Jaune, you're still a great leader!" Nora said cheerfully, patting him on the back, sending his head into the table.

Jaune groaned as the rest of them laughed, raising his now pizza sauce covered head and sighing. "Thanks Nora..."

When they had all finally finished eating, and in Jaune's case cleaning up, they made their way towards Goodwitch's sparring room together. When they arrived, everyone else had already taken their seats. They all sat with their respective teams, looking towards the empty sparring ring.

"Where's Goodwitch, she's never late." Yang said in a carrying whisper, several other students nodding in agreement.

The words had barely left the girl's mouth when the sound of the door opening filled the room, followed by the sound of heels clicking on the tile floor. The woman cleared her throat as she reached the middle of the ring, both hands behind her back, a small white hood on her head and a smile on her face.

"Good afternoon everyone. Professor Goodwitch is away currently, so I was asked by Professor Ozpin to take up her position while she's gone." Summer said, pacing back and forth, not taking her eyes off the students. "I assure you nothing will be different while I'm here. Professor Goodwitch has left me a small list of things to go through with the class while she's gone. Before we get started, I'll introduce myself."

The class exchanged slightly confused looks, but most shrugged it off, giving Summer their full attention. "My name is Summer Rose, I've been a Huntress for about twenty years now. I've gone on many missions and fought against almost every kind of opponent; so I'm not lacking in experience when it comes to combat. If you ever need help or an answer to a question, feel free to come to me, and I'll be more than happy to assist you!"

"She can give me extra lessons any time..." Cardin said in a carrying whisper.

What happened next made many of the class jump in fright. The room had gone silent after Cardin's remark, though it didn't stay that way for long. A loud _BANG,_ along with a _CRASH_ echoed through the room, causing many to jump and a few yells of surprise. The class looked at Summer, her arm extended, a small smirk on her face. They traced the direction of her arm to Cardin, who was currently sitting with her scythe buried where his lap had just been. Yang was also standing, her right gauntlet smoking from the shot she had taken right at his head.

"I think you should be our first volunteer for a sparring match today, hmm? Would you and a team member of your choice please step forwards?" Summer said in a sweet, innocent voice, tilting her head and giving a small giggle. "And who should we have you up against... How about two members of Team RWBY?"

Before anyone could blink, Yang and Ruby were both standing in the sparring ring, glaring at the two men in front of them. Yang punched one fist into her other hand, giving a small smile, whilst Ruby simply crossed her arms.

Summer stepped back out of the ring, typing something into her scroll, the ring activating and the giant board displaying each fighter's aura levels lighting up. "Ready? Three... Two... One... Begin!"

The as soon as the last word left Summer's mouth, both Yang and Ruby charged towards the two men at top speed. The two tried to block the girls' ferocious attacks, but they were no match.

Yang had gone for Sky, her gauntlets firing with each punch she made, each one connecting with the man in some area of his body, his aura dropping in record time. When he finally hit the ground, he gave a small groan of pain, trying to rise, but falling back to the ground as his aura hit the red.

Cardin wasn't so lucky, as he had the physical strength to fight his much smaller opponent, but not the speed. Each of his attacks cut only through air as he swung his mace wildly, trying to connect even a single blow while Ruby dodged him almost effortlessly. Giving a small smirk, she finally took her scythe off of her back and unfolded it, swiping out Cardin's legs from underneath him and swinging at him hard in mid-air, sending him flying out of the ring and slamming into the wall, followed by several shots of her sniper rifle, sending his aura level into the red.

Yang and Ruby happily walked off the ring to a loud round of applause, taking their spots next to Blake and Weiss.

"That was a wonderful match, both teams did... Well..." Summer said, causing a collective laugh at Cardin and Sky's expense. "Now then, do we have any volunteers for the next match? We should have enough time for about... Three more for today."

Hands went up around the room, and Summer began picking at random. The first match-up was Ren and Jaune vs Sun and Neptune, who easily won, much to Team JNPR's disappointment. The second match-up was Weiss and Yang vs Blake and Pyrrha. This match was a lot more exciting, and lasted much longer than the previous match-up had.

Yang and Pyrrha went blow-for-blow with each other, both trying to get the upper hand, with Pyrrha eventually gaining the advantage, and sending Yang flying into Weiss, who was currently locking swords with Blake, sending both girl's aura into the red zone.

The final match was the most interesting by far, as it was a free for all between four teams. Nora, Blake, Russel, and Neptune all entered the ring, ready to fight. Russel was the first to be knocked out, a swift kick from Blake sent him into Nora's fist, which sent him directly into Neptune's trident, depleting his aura in a matter of seconds.

The fight afterwards was much more exciting as the three dodged, parried, and countered each other's attacks, all seemingly evenly matched. Their teams, along with the rest of the class, cheered loudly, with a loud round of applause when Blake's punch sent Neptune flying out of the ring. The class held their breath, expecting a long and hard fought battle between Nora and Blake for the win... However, Nora had different plans. Blake readied herself, getting into a fighting stance as Nora switched her weapon into it's grenade launcher form. She fired six quick shots at Blake, who lept and rolled, trying to avoid the deadly pink explosives. She was just coming out of a roll when she saw a glint of metal out of the corner of her eye, Nora's hammer striking moments later, sending her flying up to the ceiling, and back down, where she landed in the stands with a _crash._

Ruby and Weiss helped Blake up, who was still slightly dazed. Just as they got her to her feet, the bell rang, signifying the end of class.

"Alright everyone, for an assignment, I want you all to give me a paper tomorrow on some observations you made on the fight." Summer said as the students picked up their various belongings and began filing out.

Ruby and Yang stayed back after class while Weiss took Blake to the infirmary to make sure she didn't have a concussion, with Nora constantly apologizing behind them.

"Sooo, how'd I do?" Summer said, smiling brightly as Yang and Ruby walked up to her.

"You did great! Why didn't you tell us you were going to be our substitute?!" Ruby said excitedly, wrapping her arms around Summer.

"I wanted it to be a surprise." Summer replied with a light shrug as the loudspeaker crackled to life.

"Would Team RWBY and Summer Rose please report to my office as soon as possible?" Ozpin's voice said, booming out of the speaker above the door.

"What could this be about?" Yang said, raising an eyebrow and tilting her head curiously.

"I dunno, but I guess we'd better find out." Summer said with a small sigh as all three of them started down the hallway...

 **End Note: Hiya guys, hope you liked the chapter! I also hope you like the idea of me making Summer a temporary teacher. It allows her to stay near Ruby for a while longer. And speaking of Summer, what secret could she possibly have that made her and Tai fight the last time they saw each other? Drop me some theories :p**

 **I'd also love to thank you guys for supporting my story by reading and reviewing it! And a super special thanks to , who has been a constant fountain of ideas, opinions, and all sorts of helpfulness!**

 **If you guys could rate and review, that'd be super cool but it isn't mandatory, just helps me know what you guys like and don't like so I know if there's stuff I should avoid :p**

 **Anyways, I think that's it, Chiao!**


	6. Chapter 6

_Where... Am I? Why can't I move?_ Neo thought, her mind hazy and clouded as she weakly pulled at the restraints binding her to the table. _And what the heck is with this pounding in my head..._

"Aah, Miss Politan, I see you're awake." A voice said, coming from behind the small girl, who arched her back, attempting to see the owner. "I was afraid I would be kept waiting for a while."

General Ironwood stepped into view, his hands held behind his back, his face set and menacing. Neo swallowed nervously, shifting in her bindings again as he gazed down at her. She tilted her head in a curious manner, tugging a little at the bindings as she did.

"I assume you're wondering about your... Predicament, are you not?" He said, standing beside her table. "Well, this is to ensure you aren't able to escape your captivity while you're here. Some time ago Miss Xiao Long told us all about your semblance, and I can assure you that while you're in those shackles, you will not be teleporting away, nor creating glass clones."

Neo's nervousness showed as she tested the bindings again, still finding them completely unmoveable as Ironwood began pacing again. She looked up at him with a half-questioning, half-terrified face as he circled around her.

"The reaspn you are in my facility is simple." Ironwood began, his fingers flexing behind his back. "I wish to question you, and see how much you truly know about Cinder Fall's plans and base locations, as well as any information you might have on the White Fang. It's also no use lying, as I know that you worked directly under Roman Torchwick, and must have had access to the information. Now, I will ask you one time to reveal the information to me, and if you don't, I will be forced to turn you over to someone who isn't as... Calm, as I am."

Neo opened her mouth, shaking her head vigorously. Ironwood gave a small sigh, shaking his head softly. "Well then, I'm sorry Miss Politan, but I'm going to have to resort to different means..." He said, turning to face the door and shouting. "Enter!"

The door on the other end of the room opened, shining a bright light into the room, a figure stepping in. A tall, dark haired woman stepped towards the two with a small smile on her face. "Having trouble getting the little birdie to sing General? Don't worry, gimme two days and I'll have her telling me her deepest darkest secrets..."

General Ironwood nodded as he left the room, the door shutting with a _hiss_ behind him. As he made his way down the hall, all he could hear were the screams of the girl, echoing through the empty passageway...

Ruby and Yang were elated to say the least. After arriving at Ozpin's office with the rest of the team, along with Summer, they had been asked to enter, as he had a question for the five women. He had been straight to the point, not wasting a single word as usual. As Summer was staying at the school now, but could not remain in the hospital, she required a living space while a room was appropriated for her. The girls eagerly agreed to share their own dorm room with Summer while she needed somewhere to stay.

They were currently on their way back to the room, arguing over bedding arrangements. Ruby quickly opted to share with Weiss, but was shot down with a small glare from her mother, which silenced her immediately.

"Well, me and Blake could share?" Yang said, raising her eyebrows.

"Oh yes, Sun would just LOVE that." Blake said, rolling her eyes as she imagined the Fanus boy's reaction. "Well I mean he would, as long as he was there with us..."

"Well then, maybe me and Ruby could share? I mean, we're sisters, not like we haven't done it before." Yang said, the rest of them shrugged, Ruby smiling brightly.

"It'll be like when we used to stay with Uncle Qrow!" She said excitedly, hugging her sister from behind.

"Well, at least I know you two won't get into trouble." Summer said, giving a small grin as Weiss and Ruby both blushed.

"W-we've never..."

"I-I wouldn't ever t-try to..."

They both began stuttering, sending the other girls into fits of giggles as the two shared nervously looks, both of their faces redder than Ruby's hood. The girls reached their room, Ruby immediately making her way into the bathroom, while Weiss sat on her bed, looking awfully nervous.

"What's wrong Weiss, I was just teasing you earlier." Summer said, sitting down on Ruby's bed and smiling softly.

"Oh no, that's not it at all, honest." Weiss said, smiling nervously. "Well I mean... It sort of is... It's not like I have never thought about it before but... It just seems... Improper..."

"Well, as a woman, I would urge you to talk to her about it, and just see how she feels." Summer said, giving the heiress a sweet smile. "But as her mother, if I hear you hurt my baby in any way, I will personally see to it that a hive of angry Rapier Wasps finds it's way into your locker, understood?"

"Yes ma'am!" Weiss said, her eyes widening in terror as she looked at Yang.

"Yeah she will. Dad died her cape purple on April Fool's Day, and she hid a nest of them in his work shed." Yang said from her bed, causing Blake and Summer to erupt into laughter.

"His face was priceless though!" Summer said somewhat defensively. "And he knew better than to mess with my cape!"

"To be fair, you are really protective of the thing..." Yang said, giving a small nod of agreement. "But still, it was a little overkill."

"Oh hush, shut up and go to bed." Summer said, giving a small smile as she lay down in the bed, soon followed by the others, and eventually Ruby as she finally emerged from the bathroom.

The room was completely silent as the girls drifted off into sleep, completely unaware of what the next few days would bring...

Displeased would be the word most of the crew would use to describe General Ironwood's current mood. He had been storming around the ship, barking orders and shouting at subordinates much more than usual, and it was clear to most that he was in a particularly foul mood, though few knew why.

Winter Schnee was one of the unlucky few that knew the reasoning for the General's unpleasantness, as she was the one that was charged with seeing to the small, multicolored girl that was currently in a holding cell. She knew he had expected the girl to break before now and Winter herself had admired the girl's determination at first; but it was quickly getting out of hand. It had been a week since she had been taken into custody, and she hadn't said a single word, nor shown any signs of releasing information, and it was getting to the point where Winter doubted she even had anything of value.

In fact, Winter had begun to doubt the fact that the girl was bad at all really. In the times she had been sent in to feed the girl, she had been nothing but sweet, accepting Winter's apologies with small smiles and reassuring nods. Winter had begun to pity the girl with each day passed, as she witnessed the girl's cuts and bruises begin to grow more and more common, and noticed her energy leaving her little by little.

Winter sighed as she sat down on her bunk, putting her head in her hands. "Winter, I want you up on the bridge immediately." General Ironwood's voice said over the intercom next to her door.

She stood up, pressing the button and responded with a curt, "Yes sir." before stepping out into the hallway, moving briskly towards the bridge.

The bridge was bustling with activity when Winter arrived. Crew members dashed from station to station, and General Ironwood was issuing orders as he paced through the chaos.

"General, what's going on?" She said, striding up to the man and saluting. "Is it a drill?"

"No, it isn't. We got word of a large horde of Grimm approaching the city, and I want you to get down there and coordinate ground units." Ironwood said, giving her a small nod. "You'll have three squads under your command, use them well. And hold the gates, whatever the cost."

"Yes sir." She said, saluting once more, before rushing towards the hangar.

"Hey you, wake up." A voice said, right before an icy cold wave of water washed over Neo, shocking her out of her slumber, causing her to cough and sputter as she tried to rid her lungs of the liquid. "General Ironwood wants that information, and he wants it now. He said if you don't give it up, the next few days are gonna be the worst of your life..."

Neo looked up at her interrogator with wide, fearful eyes. She shook her head repeatedly, opening her mouth wide and pulling at her bindings. The woman sighed as she stepped closed, letting Neo examine the instrument in her hand. It was a long metal rod, with a bright red handle; on the handle were several buttons, along with a black dial, which was currently in the 'off' position.

"Well then, I'm sorry, but you're forcing my hand by not talking here..."

She turned the dial, causing the rod to begin glowing bright red. As she brought it towards Neo's stomach, it caused a light sizzling sound as the super-heated object touched her bare skin, eliciting an unimaginably agonized scream from the girl...

"Uuuuuuhg, why do we get the boooring jooooob." Ruby groaned, throwing her head back as the girls paced back and forth on the landing pad. "Everyone else is helping to defend Vale, and we get stuck doing some boring delivery for Ozpin!"

"Maybe he actually has good reason for sending us?" Weiss suggested, though her doubt was shown in her voice.

"Mhm, or maybe he just secretly hates us and he's trying to get rid of us by trying to make us drop out of school!" Ruby said, punching her hand and frowning. "No... Professor Ozpin is too nice to do that..." She said, hanging her head in disappointment.

"Weiss is probably right. It's most likely just a mission that we're suited for better than anyone else is all." Summer said with a small smile, patting Ruby's shoulder gently. "We'll be off killing Grimm in no time, I'm sure of it!"

"Helllllooooo ladies." A familiar, and quite annoying voice called out. The girls turned to see Sun and Neptune, along with Professor Ozpin, walking towards them.

"Oh, hi guys... Aren't you supposed to be down fighting the Grimm?" Ruby said, tilting her head curiously.

"Yeah, but Professor Goodwitch told us to stick to Ozpin as bodyguards or something, and she's scarier than Yang on a bad hair day." Sun explained while Neptune nodded in agreement. "We decided that if we wanna live, we should probably do what she said so... Here we are!"

"Well, that answers that question..." Weiss said, pushing Neptune away and rolling her eyes as he tried to approach, a small glint in his eye. "But what about you Professor, are you coming on the mission as well?"

"As a matter of fact I am, though I realize I haven't been very clear on what the mission is. If you'll all be so kind as to board the transport, I'll explain on the way." Ozpin said, gesturing to the large ship behind them.

The team boarded the aircraft, and after closing the metal door, it took off, speeding towards Ironwood's flagship. Ruby and Weiss sat beside each other, across from Ozpin and Summer, while Neptune and Sun stood in the aisle, leaning against the far wall. Weiss was the one to finally break the silence, other than the roar of the engines.

"So, what is the mission Professor?" Weiss said, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Well, to put it shortly, we're going to go retrieve and rescue Miss Politan. The General has had his time, and has given me absolutely no proof that she should be detained any further than this, and so we are going to make sure she gets fair treatment, like a girl her age should." He said, taking a sip from his mug and sighing. "However, when I called him, he didn't seem ready to give her up just yet, so I've decided that instead of letting him bring her back, I would take a team to oversee her departure from that ship personally."

"Wait... Did you say Politan?" Ruby said, giving Ozpin a questioning look. "Like, Neo Politan? That girl that almost killed Yang on the train, and let Torchwick get away numerous times?"

"She is also the one who gave us the information that you were alive, as well as lead the mission to your rescue, nearly perishing because of it." Ozpin said, causing Ruby to look down shamefully.

"Oh... I didn't mean... I just thought..." She said quietly, twiddling her thumbs in her lap. "Sorry..."

"It's alright, you were unaware of the situation. But now that you're up to speed, I'd like to tell everyone their roles in the mission." Ozpin said, giving Ruby a small smile. "Myself, Summer, Sun, and Neptune will be going directly to the bridge, to have a word with the General. Ruby and Weiss, you two will be heading down to the bridge, where you will give this to the guards. It should be enough to secure her release from her cell."

He handed Ruby a small envelope, marked with the Beacon seal and smiled. "General Ironwood's flagship, as requested sir!" The pilot called back to them as they were all given a sudden lurch, signifying their landing.

"Well then, shall we get to it?" Ozpin said with a small smile, standing up and exiting the ship, followed closely by Sun, Neptune, and the three girls.

"Don't get into trouble now you two!" Summer said, sticking her tongue out as Ruby and Weiss both blushed.

"And if you do, I want video!" Sun said, earning him a punch in the back of the head from Summer. "Worth it..."

Ruby and Weiss took off down the hallway, as Ozpin and the others ran in the opposite direction. Several times they got quizzical looks from soldiers as they passed, but after showing the envelope, they were allowed to pass and continue towards the brig. When they finally approached the long hallway of cells, they both felt something was off. Two guards were posted at the door at the end of the hall, each armed with a rifle, and a grimace on their faces.

"We're looking for Neo Politan. We have orders from Professor Ozpin to-" Weiss began, but was cut short by a loud shriek coming from the room the guards were blocking. "That sounded like..." Weiss thrust the envelope into one of the guards' hands and politely, yet still forcefully, pushed him out of the way, pressing a button that opened the door.

The sight that met them was not what either of them were expecting. Ruby looked as though she was about to throw up, covering her mouth with one hand, her eyes widening. Weiss' expression was one of complete shock, standing in the doorway with her mouth agape.

"Excuse me, but I don't believe you're permitted to be here." The woman said, turning away from Neo, was barely conscious on the table.

"Actually, we are. By order of Professor Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon Academy, we're taking this girl back with us." Weiss said, finally finding her voice.

"Fine, but I doubt you'll have any more luck than I've had over the past week. She won't talk at all." The woman said with a small shrug, placing the rod down on the table.

"She won't talk? SHE'S MUTE!" Weiss yelled, causing both Ruby and the guards to give a startled jump.

"Hmm, that would explain a bit actually. But hey, not my problem anymore, now is it?" She said, giving a small chuckle before walking out. "Have fuuuun..."

"How can a person be so cruel?" Ruby said, staring at the woman's back as she walked off down the hallway. "I know it was your job but, how can you _enjoy_ doing something like this?"

"I don't know, but we'd better report this to Professor Ozpin..." Weiss said, taking out her Scroll.

Ozpin sighed, his hand running through his silver hair. "James, we've been over this numerous times. Going by information gathered from Summer and Miss Schnee, Miss Politan was not a willing participant in any of this."

"Willing or not, she still committed numerous crimes!" Ironwood said, slamming his fist down on the holo-table. "She has to be punished for it!"

"I know, but we have to do it in a way that keeps our values. Executing her will only take away the only thing we have over our enemy." Ozpin said, frowning at the General.

"And what would that be, morals?" Ironwood said angrily, starting to pace again. "Look where your morals have gotten us so far. One of your best students captured and tortured, Summer had been gone for years, the enemy now has intelligence on us, and we have no clue what they're planning."

"And you think, that by stooping to their level, it's going to fix itself? It will only let them know that they're winning, and that's not something we can afford." Ozpin said calmly, folding his hands over his cane. "I'm not saying she should get off scott-free, but I am saying she should at least have a-"

Ozpin was cut off as his Scroll began buzzing, he opened it, and pressed the green button. "Professor Ozpin, we found Neo, and we're moving her to the transport but she's badly hurt. She has cuts and burns all over, and she can barely stay conscious, let alone walk." Weiss's voice said, her words echoing through the now silent bridge.

Summer clapped a hand to her mouth, while Sun and Neptune showed looks of horror. Ozpin, however, stared at Ironwood, but spoke calmly to Weiss. "I want you to take her to the ship and get her back to Beacon. Get her to the infirmary as quickly as possible, I'll send Sun and Neptune along with you."

Ozpin nodded at the two, who nodded back, rushing out of the door and down the hallway. Ozpin hung up the call, still staring Ironwood dead in the eye. The larger man suddenly looked uneasy, almost downright nervous under the headmaster's gaze.

"She wasn't talking, we had no other choices. It isn't as though I wanted to... We gave her multiple chances..." Ironwood said defensively as Ozpin took a deep breath.

"So you're telling me... That the reason that you unethically and illegally tortured someone... Is because the mute girl, wouldn't talk?" Ozpin said, each word flowing from his mouth with an obvious venom. "Come out into the hallway for a moment James, I need a word in private..."

Ozpin lead the way out of the bridge, followed closely by Ironwood, who was tugging at his collar slightly. Summer and the other crew members aboard the bridge all jumped as they heard Ozpin shouting. Summer had never heard Ozpin raise his voice before, not when giving an order in the field, or even when addressing large crowds to make his voice more audible. After several moments of shouting, only interrupted by a word from Ironwood, followed by several loud _bang_ s, the two men returned to the bridge.

Ozpin raised his eyebrows at the looks of absolute terror on the faces of everyone in the room, giving Summer a soft smile and gesturing to the door. "Shall we take our leave then Miss Rose?"

Summer gave a weak nod as he led her out of the bridge. She made sure to take note of several scorch marks on the walls, smoke still lightly blowing off of them as they passed.

"Wow... That sounds... Horrifying actually..." Yang said, shivering slightly as Summer finished telling the tale of Ozpin's rage. "I never even thought Ozpin _could_ get angry. He just seems so mellow about everything... It's like seeing Sun wear a shirt, it doesn't happen."

"Hey!" Sun said, looking up and frowning, before looking down at his chest and shrugging. "Okay never mind, fair point..."

"So, is she gonna be okay?" Ruby asked nervously, turning their attention back to Neo, who lay in the bed before them.

"The doctor said that with her advanced healing, along with the medicine she's on, she should be fully recovered within a day or two." Blake said with a small sigh. "But..."

"There's no healing the mental trauma she must have suffered. Being stuck in a place like that again must have terrified her, and that's without all of the things that woman did to her..." Weiss said quietly, shaking her head.

"I hope she wakes up soon..." Ruby said sadly, looking at Neo's sleeping face. "I wanna say thank you..."

"Well, in the meantime, you can help us plan the dance!" Yang said, smiling brightly.

"Dance, what dance?" Summer said, tilting her head curiously.

"It's a girl's choice dance, you know, where the girl asks the guy. Me and Yang are planning it, like we did for the Vytal Festival a few years ago." Weiss explained, both Ruby's and Summer's faces lighting up with excitement.

"This is gonna be so much fuuuuun!" Ruby said, clapping her hands excitedly.

Weiss punched the girl's arm. "Sssh, you're gonna wake her up you dunce!"

"Too late for that." Blake said, rolling her eyes as Neo's eyes fluttered open.

Neo shot up, her eyes wide, grasping the sheets in a tight grip. Summer placed a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder. "Ssh, it's okay, you're safe here. We're not going to hurt you, I promise."

Neo looked around at the faces of Team RWBY and Summer and began to relax, loosening her grip on the sheets. Someone handed her a pad and pen, where she began quickly scribbling down her message.

 _You guys came for me?_

"Of course we did, you helped us rescue Ruby and Miss Rose. We're not gonna let you stay to rot in some jail cell, and especially not leaving you to... That..." Weiss said with a small, calming smile.

"Speaking of... I never really got to... Thank you for rescuing me..." Ruby said shyly, rubbing the back of her head. "Since I was unconscious through the whole thing and all..."

Neo smiled happily as she lifted the pad up for them to see. _I'm just happy we made it in time. Are you okay?_

"Mhm, I'm all healed up!" Ruby said, which caused Neo to give another bright smile.

"So Neo, how are you feeling?" Summer asked, the others giving her looks of curiousness mixed with worry.

 _I don't even hurt anymore. I feel completely back to normal. Well, physically anyways._

"Well, take your time recovering, don't push yourself too hard." Summer said with a gentle smile.

 _Don't worry, I won't. So, may I ask what's this about a dance?_

"Me and Weiss are planning it. You're quite welcome to come, though you'll have to find a date." Yang said, smirking at the young girl. "I'm sure Professor Ozpin wouldn't turn ya down, or maybe Uncle Qrow."

"Yes he would." Summer said quickly, giving Yang a slightly threatening look.

"Umm... Okay..." Yang said, raising her hands defensively. "Jokes about Uncle Qrow are off limits, gotcha..."

"You wanna come down into town with me to get fitted for a dress?" Ruby asked hopefully. "Well, as long as it's okay with Professor Ozpin that is..."

"I'm sure that wouldn't be too hard to arrange, provided you two had a chaperone." Said a voice from behind the group.

Professor Ozpin smiled warmly at Neo, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'm glad you're recovered, I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive the General. I can assure you, he won't be doing it again."

Neo gave a small nod, jotting something down on her note pad. _Don't worry, I can understand why he did it. It'll just take me a little while to... Adjust._

"I understand perfectly." Ozpin said, still smiling as he took a sip of coffee. "Now, about what to do with you... I believe that somewhere in Vale, there's a prestigious academy that could use the talents of a girl like you. Perhaps you would think about enrolling there?"

Neo's eyes widened, and she nodded, her face breaking into a wide smile; Ruby winced slightly as she noticed one or two of the girl's back teeth were missing.

"Well then, perhaps tomorrow when you get back from town, we can get the paperwork sorted out, eh?" He said, giving her a small nod before turning and walking towards the door.

Neo lay back on the pillows on her bed, a bright smile on her face as Ozpin exited the room.

"You're gonna be a student at Beacon with us, this is great!" Ruby said, jumping up out of her seat and clapping happily.

"Please sit down Ruby, you're embarrassing yourself..." Weiss said, her head in her hands as she shook her head gently. "Well, congrats Neo! Now, why don't you get some rest, okay, we can go shopping in the morning."

Neo gave a small nod as the others stood up, Summer leaned over and kissed her forehead gently, giving her a small smile. "Sleep tight."

 **End Note: Well guys, how'd you like the chapter? I'm super sorry it took so long for me to post it, but the person I have look over my chapters went on vacation, then my Uncle stopped reading halfway through and never gave me his advice on it, so I was forced to do it myself this time XD**

 **Also, to the Guest that gave the comment about Summer's weapon, I actually have a pretty good explanation as to how I know what Summer's weapon was:**

 **I'm the author and fuck you. That's how XD**

 **Anyways, as usual, feel free to leave a request for another story or preferred ships or whatever in the comments, and I'll try my darndest to make it happen! Chiao!**


	7. Chapter 7

"Oh my goodness you look beautiful!" Weiss said, her eyes wide and shining as Ruby twirled before her.

"Aww, really? I like this dress, but I was worried it was a bit too... Frilly." She said, twirling again and giving a small giggle as the red fabric began flowing around her. As she stopped, the dress became clearly visible; it was a short dress, ending at her knees, it was mostly red, with several black lines of lace going around it. The collar was black lace as well, and just covering the tiny bit of cleavage shown, was a silver rose pin.

"It looks amazing, my beautiful girl!" Summer said, squeezing Ruby tightly as the smaller girl tried to escape her grip.

"Mom... Crushing me... Light fading..." Ruby said dramatically, pretending to faint.

"Oh don't be so dramatic." Summer said, smiling as she rolled her eyes. "You'll get hugs from your mother and you'll like it!"

Weiss rolled her eyes as she watched the scene unfold, smiling softly. "How in the heck am I ever going to deal with two of them..."

They all turned to look at the dressing room as they heard the door creaking again. Neo stepped out nervously; she was wearing a white suit with a pink tie and her usual high heeled boots. She wore a small pin right above where her heart was, it was bright gold and in the shape of a cane and an umbrella crossed together. She gave a small smile and held up her note pad:

 _So... How do I look?_

"You look amazing! It's simple, but it looks really good on you!" Ruby said with a bright smile, causing Neo's cheeks to go pink.

"I guess you could say it really... Suits her?" Summer said, bursting into giggles.

"And suddenly Yang's sense of humor makes sense..." Weiss said, holding her head in her hands and groaning.

"Oh come on, what's the harm in a little joke?" Summer said with a small smile, giving Weiss a small poke.

"I die a little on the inside." Weiss said, her voice muffled by her hands, causing Ruby and Summer to roll their eyes.

"C'mon sweetie, I'm sure you could make some _Weiss_ puns too if you gave it a try..." Ruby said, smiling mischievously.

"It's not that hard, I'm sure _Schnee'll_ get the hang of it." Summer said, causing the two of them to crack up, Neo and Weiss rolling their eyes.

"Can we just go pay for our things so we can meet up with the others?" Weiss said, her voice muffled from behind her hands.

"Aren't you gonna get a dress Weiss?" Ruby asked curiously as she and Neo stepped back into the small changing rooms.

"I already have one. Winter sent it to me a few days ago." Weiss said, removing her hands and smiling.

"I can't wait to see it!" Ruby exclaimed from behind the door.

"Not until the dance!" Weiss scolded teasingly, causing Ruby to give a small groan of disappointment. "What about you Miss Rose? Are you attending the dance?"

"Of course, I wouldn't miss it for the world!" Summer said, her facing lighting up.

"Who are you going with? Is it Dad?" Ruby said, smiling brightly as she slipped out of the changing room.

"Well... Not exactly... I mean... Sort of..." Summer said, swallowing nervously as Neo shut the door to her changing room, suit folded neatly in her arms. "There we are, Neo's all changed. Shall we go pay?"

The three smaller girls exchanged quizzical looks as Summer led them up to the register. Summer paid for Ruby's dress, insisting that it was a makeup for ten missed birthdays. She was about to swipe her card for Neo's dress as well, when a small hand stopped her.

A piece of paper was placed in front of her as Neo stepped forwards, swiping her own card:

 _Don't worry, I got it._

Neo typed in her pin and smiled as the woman behind the counter handed her a small box, in which her suit lay. She led them all out of the store, where they stood, Weiss typing on her scroll, while Summer and Ruby stared.

"Umm, Neo..." Ruby began, a slightly nervous tone in her voice.

Neo gave a small smile, holding up her pad of paper, along with her card:

 _Don't worry, the card is mine, I didn't steal it._

Indeed, the card did have Neo's name on it, along with the symbol of a bowl of ice cream, with three scoops in it.

"But... Where did you..."

 _Where did I get the money? Well, this is my card that is linked directly to a bank account, where all of my pay was put when I was with Roman. There is a very sizable amount in there, to the point that even Weiss' jaw would probably drop._

"Does Professor Ozpin know about this?" Summer asked suspiciously, raising a singular eyebrow.

 _Yes. He told me that, even though the products sold to get it were illegal, the money isn't because of some weird law. So legally, every penny is mine._

Neo gave an almost proud smile, while Summer and Ruby both exchanged shrugs. "Well, I guess if he isn't worried about it, we shouldn't be either..." Summer said, giving a small sigh as Weiss looked up from the scroll.

"Blake said that they're all at a little cafe, it's right next door to that little noodle stand." Weiss said, placing the device in one of her skirt's pockets and smiling.

"You mean A Simple Wok?" Ruby asked curiously, receiving a nod from the heiress. "Well then, let's head over there!"

After about forty-five minutes, several wrong turns, and directions from a Hispanic man selling roses, they finally arrived at the cafe. Double Chip Cafe was a small little cafe, but it was nearly always packed to the breaking point. As soon as they sat down at the large table Blake and Yang had gotten for them, Ruby started to drool at the smell of the freshly baked chocolate chip cookies that gave the cafe it's name. The waitress had only just set the plate down when Ruby grabbed one, eating it in a single bite.

"With the amount of cookies you eat, it's a wonder you aren't as big as a whale..." Weiss muttered, rolling her eyes as Ruby ate several more. "Where does it all go?"

"It fuels her non-stop hyperactive attitude." Blake said, giving a small smile as Ruby looked up innocently.

"Mmm nt hperactv." She said through a mouthful of cookies. She swallowed them and spoke again, this time much clearer. "I just love cookies is all! Who can blame me, everyone does!"

"Well, anyways, how'd your dress shopping go?" Sun asked, leaning back in his chair and smiling. "Bet it was boring."

"Was not! Me and Neo both god nice clothes for the dance, and we had a good time teasing Weiss with puns!" Ruby explained, earning her a thumbs up and a bright smile from Yang.

"Atta girl! Way to carry on the family tradition!"

"Please don't encourage her..." Weiss moaned, hesitantly accepting a cookie Ruby was holding in front of her.

"Well, do you guys have any plans for the rest of the day? Me and Sun were planning on heading down to the beach. We wanna help Neptune get over his fear of water." Blake said, sipping her small cup of steaming tea.

"That sounds like fun! A little time at the beach would be nice and relaxing." Ruby said, looking over at Weiss. "Can we? Please, please, please, pleeeeeeeeaaaaase?"

"Yes, fine, alright. Calm down, it's just a beach." Weiss said, rolling her eyes and smiling lightly.

"Yeah, but beaches are so much fun! You can swim, build sandcastles, bury each other, play volleyball- mmph!" Ruby began excitedly, but was silenced as Yang leaned across the table, stuffing a cookie into the girl's mouth.

"Sorry Rubes, but if that had been allowed to continue, you'd still be listing things on your death bed." Yang said with a teasing smile as Ruby chewed the cookie indignantly.

Summer shook her head, smiling as she gave a small sigh. "You two never change..." She suddenly jumped as her scroll began to ring, leaping up out of her seat. "Oh, I need to take this. I'll meet you guys at the beach later!" She said, hurrying out of the cafe, leaving the rest of them to exchange confused looks.

"Is it just me, or has she seemed a bit... Jumpy lately?" Yang said, frowning and crossing her arms.

"Yeah, she has...Who do you suppose that was calling her?" Ruby replied with a small sigh. "Think it was Dad?"

"I dunno... Kinda useless wondering though. We can ask her later." Yang said, pulling out her wallet and smiling. "Now, let me pay for this, and we'll head back to the room and change!"

Twenty, rather uneventful minutes later found the girls back in their room. Sun had gone back to his room to change and fetch Neptune, and Neo had returned with them. Neo and Ruby placed their new clothing in the large closet shared by all of the girls. The five girls quickly exchanged their normal clothing, for their bathing suits and bags. Ruby and Weiss both dinned cover-ups, with Ruby's being bright red, and Weiss' pure white, matching their bathing suits. Yang left herself uncovered, her bright yellow bikini barely holding in her chest, attracting the attention of a certain mute girl, who had borrowed one of Weiss' white bikinis.

"Like something you see?" Yang teased as she helped Blake tie the strings to her bikini top.

Neo's face went even redder than Ruby's cover up as she spun around, quickly following Weiss out, Ruby giving her sister a slightly disapproving shake of her head. "Meanie..."

"Am not..." Yang pouted as Ruby left the room, leaving the blonde with the faunus girl.

"It was a little bit mean." Blake said with a small smile, picking up her back and tossing a bottle of suntan lotion in.

"Yeah, yeah... Come on, or we'll never catch up to them..." Yang said, grabbing Blake's wrist and hurrying out to follow the others,

When they finally arrived at the beach, it was a sight to see. Nora and Ren sat atop an enormous sand castle, with Nora humming her signature, _"I'm Queen of the castle"_ song. Pyrrha was lying on her stomach, while Jaune gently rubbed suntan lotion on her back. Sun was sitting at the bottom a=of the castle, looking somewhat peeved. They could all see a hint of bright blue hair poking out from inside of the castle, where they all assumed Neptune had taken as his hiding place.

"Hey guys, about time you showed up!" Sun said, smiling brightly as the girls approached.

Neptune poked his head out from the castle, his eyes nearly bulging out of his head as he saw the bikini-clad girls. "O-oh, hey guys! C-come to hang out?"

"Actually, we've come to help you and Sun..." Blake said, placing a hand on her hip as Ruby began spreading out the towels for her team.

"Umm... Help him with what exactly?" Neptune inquired, his smile fading quickly, eyes widening in recognition. "Oh no..."

"GET HIM!" Yang and Sun shouted at the same time.

Neptune attempted to run, dodging to the left so Sun flew past him, and jumping over Yang's head. What he didn't account for, however, was Nora. The orange-haired girl had lept off the top of the castle and come crashing down right on top of the aqua-haired boy.

"I GOT HIM!" She shouted, leaping to her fet and giving a small dance of victory.

"Good job Nora, now come on, we're gonna teach him that water is nothing to be afraid of!" Sun said as he, Nora, and Yang grabbed Neptune's wriggling limbs and made their way towards the water.

"No guys, wait... I can't swi-" _SPLASH._ Neptune's last words were drowned out as the trio threw him into the water.

Neptune began flailing around, gasping for breath as he struggled to stay surfaced. He fell to the ground, washing back up on shore, supposedly unconscious.

The rest of them rushed over, gathering around the boy, all eager to make sure he was okay. Weiss pushed them all aside and shook her head. "I know CPR, I can do it. I just need some space..." She said, pressing both hands right above his heart and beginning to pump. She had just plugged his nose, her lips inches from his, when Sun placed his hand on her shoulder.

"He's fine..." He said, causing Weiss to look down and notice the smile on Neptune's lips.

One of his eyes opened, revealing Weiss' bright red, obviously angry face. He sat up, rubbing the back of his head nervously. "I mean... You can't blame a guy for trying... Right?"

"You... Fucking... PERVERT!" Weiss screamed, followed by a loud _SMACK,_ along with Neptune flying away several feet.

"Come on Weiss, calm down..." Ruby said softly, wrapping her arms around the girl.

"Calm down?! I almost kissed him! Euhg!" She cried, trying to pry Ruby off of her, desperate to get at Neptune again. "Let me go, I'm gonna drown him for real!"

"Come on Weiss, let's try something else... How about we make a sand castle, or bury each other in the sand... Don't worry about him..." Ruby said, placing a small kiss on the heiress' cheek, causing her to instantly become much calmer.

"F-fine... I-I've never been buried in the sand before... Winter always told me it was stupid nonsense..." Weiss muttered, turning away from Neptune, who was sitting up with help from Sun and Blake, a goofy grin on his face.

"Hey, I have an idea! Why don't we bury you two together? It's be so cute!" Nora exclaimed, clapping happily when both girls gave a small shrug. "Whoo hoo! Come on Yang, we'll need a lot of sand!"

The two sped off, Pyrrha giving a small smile and shaking her head. "That girl has more energy than I would have ever though possible..."

"How do you do it Ren? I mean seriously..." Jaune said, watching as Nora dug at near super-sonic speeds, soon forming a large mound of sand beside her.

"Patience, time... And a lot of energy drinks..." Ren said, causing the rest to bust out laughing.

Nora and Yang ran over to the group, grabbing Weiss and Ruby. "Come on, it's ready!" They said, practically carrying the two girl over to the mountain of sand, followed closely by Jaune, Pyrrha, Neo, and Ren.

Ruby and Weiss stumbled and fell over as Yang and Nora finally let go, Ruby falling directly on top of Weiss, their noses only an inch apart. "Oh... Hi..." She said nervously, attempting to get up, before feeling a bucket-full of sand poured on her back. "Wh-what? You're not gonna bury us l-like this? A-are you?!"

"That we are little sis, it's so cute!" Yang said as she and Nora began dumping bucket after bucket of sand on top of the girl's, both of whom were blushing furiously.

By the time they were finished and had patted the sand into a very solid mass, only the two girl's heads and feet were poking out, and their faces had only grown redder. Ruby opened her mouth to speak, but it turned into a loud gasp, followed by a loud squeal.

"N-no don't! Not that, anything but that!" She begged, but her words fell on deaf ears. Yang and Nora had sat themselves next to the girl's feet, and begun tickling away, causing Weiss and Ruby to erupt into hysterical laughter.

The two girls laughed and screamed as their other friends joined in, some of them holding back their toes, so that others could run their fingers along the soft skin underneath, sending the girls into further fits of utter hysterics. Five minutes passed, though it felt like hours to the two giggling girls, before the tormenting finally stopped. As they attempted to catch their breath, the smiling face of Yang appeared right in their vision.

"Soooooo, what should we do with these two lovebirds, hmm? I mean, we've got all evening, and they aren't going _anywhere_." She said, her lips twisting into an evil smirk.

"Umm... Well, you could dig us out? And umm, we could all go to dinner?" Weiss suggested hopefully, Ruby nodding eagerly in agreement.

"Nah, I was thinking something a bit more... Fun..." Yang said, placing a finger on her chin thoughtfully.

"We could tickle them more!" Nora suggested, causing Yang to smile again.

"Perfect!" Yang said, and, among very verbal protests from the two girls, took her seat one more.

Both girls braced themselves, shutting their eyes tightly and awaiting their torture...

"You guys... Suck..." Weiss said when they had finally been dug out of the mound. She and Ruby were sitting together, with Ruby on her lap, cuddled next to the small bonfire Sun had made.

"Oh come on, it couldn't have been that bad." Yang said, waving a hand nonchalantly.

"You tickled us for like three hours straight!" Ruby complained, tucking her bare feet under Weiss' legs as she held the girl closer. "That was just evil!"

"It was a little bit much..." Pyrrha said, giving a small smile as she gave the girls a gentle smile. "Look on the bright side though, the boys should be back with dinner soon! And with all that laughing, I'm sure you worked up an appetite."

"Yeah... I am pretty hungry..." Ruby said, Weiss' stomach growling, as if on cue, causing the Schnee girl to blush heavily. "And it sounds like you are too Weiss..." Ruby said with a small smirk.

Weiss said nothing, only looking down in embarrassment. "So, who's looking forwards to the dance this weekend?!" Yang said excitedly, clapping her hands together. "Everyone got a date?"

"I am! And I've got my lovely date right here!" Ruby exclaimed, hugging Weiss tightly.

"Yeah, it's gonna be... A lot... of fun..." Weiss said, trying to wriggle out of Ruby's unbreakable grip.

"Hey... I just realized... Wasn't Mom supposed to come meet us here? It's been hours." Ruby said, slight concern obvious in her voice.

"I'm sure she's fine. She's probably just talking with Dad or whoever it was on the phone." Yang said, giving a small smile.

"Hey guys, we're back!" Sun called out as the boys walked towards the small group, several large bags in hand.

The girls waved, all of them expression obvious gratitude for the food they had brought. Everyone ate in almost utter silence, with only the sounds of chewing and the crackling of fire breaking the noiseless night.

"I wish we could do this all the time... Just kinda sit back and relax all day on the beach... Not a care in the world..." Blake said, sighing as she rested her head on Sun's lap.

"Yeah, that's be really nice..." Weiss said from her towel, where she and Ruby were currently cuddled up, wrapped in each others arms.

"Well, when we graduate, we'll be able t pick when and where we do jobs... It'll give us a lot more time for things like that." Pyrrha said, giving a small smile as Jaune wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

Neptune had opened his mouth to say something, but was cut short by a loud snore, coming from his right. They all looked at the source, only to find Nora and Neo curled up next to each other... And on top of Ren, who was looking utterly helpless underneath the two small girls.

"I think that's the cue for us all to get to bed, huh?" Weiss said as Ruby gave a small yawn, nodding her head. "Yes please... Carry me?"

Weiss gave a small sigh as Yang smirked. "I'll get your stuff." The busty blonde said as Weiss stood up, taking the slightly smaller girl in her arms with a grunt of effort, and following Ren, and Neptune, who were carrying Nora and Neo respectively, back towards Beacon...

 **End Note: Sorry about the really delayed chapter guys! Work has been killing me, quite literally. I spent a day or two in the hospital, and when I haven't been bed ridden, I've been working my ass off. Hopefully I'll get back to a better schedule now though, since I seem to be clear for a while! I have several more stories coming up as well that I'm sure you guys will love!**

 **Until then, remember to rate and comment! Chiao!**


	8. Chapter 8

"Oh. My. God. This place looks _amazing_!" Ruby exclaimed, her silver eyes open wide with awe as she looked around at the large entrance hall, which had been refurnished, decorated, and stocked for the dance.

Every inch of the room was sparkling with balloons were tied to each corner of every table, with matching streamers handing from the ceiling. A large disco ball, glistening like a diamon hung from the ceiling, covering the room in small spots of bright light. Several banners hung from the wall, bearing Beacon's coat of arms, along with the symbol of Vale itself.

"You guys really outdid yourselves." Blake said, her face showing her obvious impression with the scale of the decor.

"Aww come on, it was nothin'." Yang said, waving a hand dismissively, but smiling with pride nonetheless.

"It was a pleasure helping out Miss Goodwitch." Weiss said with a small smile, leaning her head on Ruby's shoulder. "But I'm glad it's finally over, it was quite time consuming... An speaking of time, we should probably go get dressed... The dance is gonna start in a few hours, and we all need showers and makeup." She said, wrapping both of her arms around one of Ruby's and leading her, along with Blake and Yang, out of the Hall.

After almost three hours of showers, doing each others hair and nails, and fitting on dresses and shoes, the girls were finally ready. They all stood before the great doors to the entry hall, listening to the commotion on the inside. Weiss stood tall, her dress pure and white like her hair, standing on a pair of pure white high heels. Ruby was attatched to her arm, her dress complimenting Weiss's quite nicely, her deep red and black giving a pleasant opposite to Weiss's bright white colouring. Yang and Blake's dresses were also resemblant of their natural colouring, with Yang's bright yellow dress giving a sheer, almost glowing effect. It made Blake's flowing black dress look quite bland in comparison, but still complimented it rather nicely. Neo was stood off to the side slightly, looking extremely nervous in her suit, both hands clasped tightly behind her back.

All five girls turned when they heard raised voices and laughter coming down the hallway, Sun, Neptune, Jaune, Pyrrha, Ren, Nora, Coco, Velvet, and Yatsuhashi were all making their way towards the group, each dressed in a suit or dress that complimented their usual colour patterns.

As they approached, Sun took Blake's hand, kissing it gently. "Milady." He said in an almost teasing voice, causing blake's face to flush a deep red colour.

As the dates paired up, they all began to move towards the doors to the main hall, where the sounds of chatter and music could be heard. However, as Ruby's hand reached the handle, a voice stopped her.

"Wait a second..." Coco said, turning to look at Yatsuhashi, dropping her sunglasses so they could all see her narrowed eyes. "You said you had a date did you not...?"

"Yes, I do." He said simply, looking down beside him, where Neo was standing, her face as pink as her hair.

"B-b-but when did... How did you... Do you even KNOW each other?!" Weiss asked, voicing the confusion the rest of the group all seemed to share.

"We met around a week and a half ago." Yatsuhashi explained, Neo gently wrapping both arms around one of his. "I was assisting her in recovering something Cardin had put... Out of her reach. We began talking, and as neither of us had dates for the dance at the time, we decided to attend together."

As he spoke, Neo smiled softly, nodding along in confirmation to his story. The other began giving their respective 'Ooh's and 'Aww's, all except Yang, who frowned. "Wait a minute Neo... Has Cardin been... Bullying you?"

Neo froze as therest of the group glared at her, shrinking back slightly as she nodded. She began scribbling on her note pad. _Yeah but I took care of it... He was just giving me some trouble because of my height... Thank god he has no clue who I actally am... He's nearly killed me already..._

Yang opened her mouth to say something, but Blake put a hand up. "We can all talk about it later, but for now, let's all just have some fun and enjoy the dance, okay?"

Affirmative mutters swept through the group as they finally entered the giant hall. Loud, booming music and the sounds of dozens of mixed conversations invaded their ears as the doors opened. Almost immediately the group dispersed, Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Sun, Coco, and Velvet all making their way to the dance floor. Neo and Yatsuhashi made their way over to the punch bowls with Yang and Neptune, both couples sipping from their cups, making small talk as they watched the dozens of other couples dancing to the music.

Weiss rolled her eyes as she guided Ruby along the dance floor. "Just relax you dolt... You're stepping on my feet..."

"Sorry Weiss... You know I hate these stupid lady stilts... They're impossible to walk in, I don't see why I couldn't wear flats." Ruby replied, giving Weiss a small peck on the cheek. "I can rub your feet when we're done to make it up to you, okay?"

"That sounds nice... And if you have so much trouble, why didn't you ask for help? I wear heels contantly, I could have taught you." Weiss said, returning the kiss, along with a soft smile.

"Well... I mean Ive been trying to practice. I wanted to surprise you before the dance, so I was practicing whenever I was alone in the dorm but... I still suck..."

"They are difficult to master, I'll admit. Tell you what, afte the dance is all over, I'll help you out. For now, try and keep more weight on the balls of your feet and your toes, it makes it a bit easier." Weiss said, gently laying her head on Ruby's shoulder as they continued slowly dancing with the crowd.

The doors opened again, both of the girls glancing towards it as people whispered "isn't she a teacher?" "I think he is too at some other school", some giggling quietly amongst themselves. A pair entered the room, hands held tightly, the woman blushing heavily as she whispered something to her onyx-haired partner. Qrow merely chuckled and shook his head, leaning down to kiss Summer's cheek.

Both Ruby's and Weiss's jaws hit the floor at this spectacle. "B-b-but I thought... Isn't she married...?"

"Um... Yeah... To my Dad... But then why is she with my Uncle Qrow...?" Ruby asked, her face showing nothing but absolute confusion.

"Well, why don't we go ask her? I hate this next song anyways... What the hell does it mean to 'get schwifty'?" Weiss said, rolling her eyes and taking Ruby's hand, leading her off the dance floor.

"Oh, hey sweetie!" Summer said cheerfully, smiling brightly at the girls as they approached. "You two look beautiful!"

"So do you Miss Rose." Weiss said with a polite smile, giving the couple a small curtsy.

"Mom... Why are you here with Uncle Qrow? I thought you'd be coming with Dad?" Ruby asked, her head tilting curiously.

"Well um... Your father and I have been having some... Disagreements lately. And so he didn't see it appropriate to join me. So your Uncle Qrow, being all nice and gentleman like, volunteered to accompany me!" She replied, smiling happily and laying her head on his arm.

"But then, why did he um... Ya know, kiss you?"

"Oh that? We're family, he's like my step brother... Or something... I think? Cousin maybe? Either way, he's family! And family are allowed to give each other kisses, are they not?" Summer said, almost defensively as Qrow chuckled.

Ruby shrugged as she gave her mother and uncle each a hug before the pair made their way back towards the punch bowl, where Blake and Yang were currently giggling away, either unaware or uncaring of the appearance.

"Hey Rubes, what's up? Ya finished breaking the Ice Queen's toes yet?" Yang asked teasingly, sticking her tongue out, earning a reproachful glare from Weiss.

"She's not that bad, she's certainly improved since last time!" The heiress scolded, taking a sip of punch.

Yang merely shrugged, taking a sip from her own cup and smiling, obviously satisfied. "Well either way I think we can call this a complete success."

"Here here!" Ruby said, the four girls tapping their glasses together with a small _clink_.

Ruby's next words were unheard, however, as the ear-piercing sound of an explosion sounded through the room, sending them flying through the air. The wall had been completely destroyed, a massive amount of debris flying everywhere, one of them striking Yang directly in the back of her head, knocking her out cold.

When Ruby's eyes next open, all she could see was dust and debris littering the ground around her. The sounds of screaming filled her ears as several dozen pairs of legs ran in multiple directions around her. She sat up slowly, her distorted vision taking a moment to finally focus on her surroundings.

People were running ever which way, some to try and aid the people that had been hit by debris or thrown back by the blast, others running to seek cover somewhere. Looking down at the ground, she saw Blake already on her feet, trying to help Neo pull Yang behind an overturned table. Weiss was sitting upright, looking just as dazed and confused as Ruby herself, and Qrow and Summer shouting instructions could be heard somewhere behind her.

Ruby rose shakily to her feet, wobbling her way over to Weiss, helping her to rise as well. "Wh-what the heck just happened..." The heiress asked, accepting Ruby's helping hand, shaking her head to clear it.

"I don't know, but I think-"

BANG.

The sound of a gunshot sent screams, followed by silence through the crowd. All eyes turned to the hold in the wall, where half a dozen figured stood, each brandishing weapons. The one on the far left held a pistol in the air, smoke slowly rising from the barrel, signifying the origin of the gunshot. The one in the middle stepped forwards, her heels making a soft _click_ through the stunned silence.

"Could anyone tell me where I might find the Good Professor Ozpin?" Cinder asked, her voice echoing through the room, recieving only silence in return. "Simply tell me where he is and I'll leave you in peace, if not, well then... I'll simply have to draw him out by massacring his precious students."

The words hung over the crowd, an eerie, forboding feeling sweeping over everyone. Ruby's hand clenched her scroll as her eyes swept across the room, finally landing on her mother. Summer was unmoving, her eyes wide in what was obivously terror as she gazed at Cinder. Qrow seemed to have vanished, leaving Ruby completely unaware of what to do.

"Nobody willing to share? And here I thought Huntsmen and Huntresses were eager to help others... Very well, have it your way." Cinder said, frowning as small flames appeared in front of her eyes, her hands clenched into fists. "Let's see how many will die before he shows up..."


End file.
